Are you stuck at home with your kids?
This article talks about the wide research base of using Motivational Interviewing to improve health outcomes for children, including physical activity, reducing screen time, diet, and oral hygiene.
I recently received an email from a past training participant. She asked, “How do you keep up the Motivational Interviewing spirit? I’ve been struggling lately with patients!” I loved this question because it caused me to think deeply. How do I keep up the Motivational Interviewing spirit?
How do I stay compassionate, curious, & hopeful while working with people who struggle immensely with change?
I know that I need reminders, support and practice for the spirit of MI to remain a steady stream in my work. And, I still relapse. Bill Miller once was asked how long it takes to really embody MI. “10 years,” he replied. Ten years of repetition, practice, reminders, support! And that is why I’m writing to you today!
One thing missing from the typical Motivational Interviewing learning process is follow up. Support. Reminders. Practice. How do you take what you learned in a training & integrate it into your work?
This training participant email inquiry gave me the nudge I needed to move me from the contemplation stage of change to the action stage. I want to support YOU in your MI learning process, wherever you are on the journey!
For some time now, I have been thinking about emailing regular tips and free Motivational Interviewing reminders to folks, supporting the MI spirit/attitude, supporting YOU in the important work you do. So here it goes! I’ve got some stuff brewing for 2020 to support you in embodying the spirit of MI, the skills, & the path of walking with clients toward their change goals.
So here is my first “Motivational Interviewing cheat sheet” handout, giving you a few tips on how to avoid wrestling with clients! Post it in your workspace. Set an intention to read a reminder at the beginning of each workday. Share with a friend. Bring it to a team meeting. Recycle it. Do with it what makes sense! (There’s my explicit statement of autonomy, folks!)
You’ll be hearing from me in the coming weeks and months, as I pull together fantastic MI tips, create live virtual MI skills practice groups, and send out more free stuff. Hey, you got to the bottom of the post! Something in here is speaking to you today! Stay tuned 🙂
