3 Tips Motivational Interviewing Tips to Support Change
YOU are in the business of helping people change!
Yet sometimes you may inadvertently say things that contribute to client resistance to change.
How does this happen?
Let’s take a look! I invite you to ask yourself these 3 questions:
1. Do I listen more than I talk? Or am I talking more than I listen?
When we are utilizing MI, we should be talking less than our clients. Like, less than 50% of the time. Supporting change is typically not about giving information, telling our stories, thoughts and opinions, or falling into that Fixing Reflex (persuading, convincing). Create room for your clients to think out loud, explore their motivation for change, and hear themselves speak through YOUR reflective listening!
2. Do I normalize ambivalence in the change process? Or am I underestimating their struggle with this change?
Ambivalence means there are strengths on both sides! I still remember a client I worked with that told me he had never heard a provider tell him that it was normal for a part of him to not want to give up drinking. When I shared with him that ambivalence to quitting drinking was normal, I visibly watched his shoulders drop, as he began releasing a bit of shame he had been holding onto. Think about it, if you believe you shouldn’t be ambivalent, then you may think ‘what is wrong with me?’ That’s another barrier to change! Change is hard! Ambivalence is normal!
3. Do I help this person identify success and challenges from their past, and help them relate this to present change efforts? Or am I assuming they have the confidence needed to do this?
When people change, they need to feel it is both important to change, and have CONFIDENCE in their ability to change. We want people to feel connected to their inner strengths, past successes, and abilities AND tie these to their current challenges. What questions can you ask to elicit past success? Consider what strengths you can affirm!
I have a 1-hr self-paced course on this very topic called You May Be Accidentally Contributing to Client Stuckness: Methods from MI and Change Research.
I made a free download for you with some MI tips! Here is your MI Checkup
Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: What are one or two behaviors you can focus on this week that will help you help others? Is it talking less? Normalizing ambivalence? Affirming strengths? Or another from this checklist?! Have fun! Let me know how it goes!
Related Posts
Why take a break with advice-giving & fixing?
What’s wrong with jumping in with your ideas, and fixing something when someone has a problem? Let’s start with an important term and definition. Motivational Interviewing has named this ‘fixing’ behavior our Righting Reflex. Not, “I'm right and you are wrong,” but...
Related Posts
Why Ask Why? Why questions and Motivational Interviewing
When I talk about the evoking process of MI, which is essentially about helping a client connect in with their WHY CHANGE, sometimes a training participant raises their hand and says, “But in graduate school, I learned not to ask why questions.” There appear to be two...
Let’s Learn Together!
Hi, I’m Hillary Bolter. At MI Center for Change, Motivational Interviewing is our passion. Motivational Interviewing will help you become more effective and efficient as you support clients’ change!
