How to Do Motivational Interviewing: A Guidebook

In this concise book, you will learn how to do Motivational Interviewing (MI), the evidence-based, client-centered counseling approach that has demonstrated effectiveness for a range of psychological, behavioral, and health related issues.

Rather than the counselor arguing for the client to change, the MI approach helps elicit client's own arguments for behavior change. Some of the topics covered include:

• How to prepare for an MI session,
• How to assess your client's motivation using two simple questions,
• How to ask powerful, strategic questions that move a client toward healthy behavior change,
• How to handle "resistance" or discord in the therapeutic relationship
• How to give information and advice in the MI consistent way that is acceptable to the client

The author, an experienced psychologist, psychotherapist, public speaker, and MI instructor, shows how simple counseling techniques, taught in any beginning counseling class, can be powerful when used strategically to tap into clients' own motivation. Anyone who works with people including doctors, nurses, psychologists, addiction counselors, social workers, case managers, family advocates, lay counselors, correctional staff, dentists, life coaches, dietitians, nutritional counselors, physical therapists and others would benefit from the information in this book. The second edition updates the information and concepts presented in the first edition based on recently published texts of MI.