Good Ol’ Shel Silverstein!
This sweet little poem speaks so well to the spirit of Motivational Interviewing.
Why do I talk so much about the spirit of MI?
Because, it’s not MI without the spirit.
Sometimes I think about the concept of ‘catching the spirit,’ like catching the holy spirit. It’s catching a hold of the belief in something greater than ourselves.
We gotta remember that we aren’t the ones in charge, especially of other people.
It’s important to remember that as helping professionals, we don’t have to know all of the answers. We don’t have to know what other people should do. We don’t have to claim responsibility for getting people there.
We don’t have to have the answers, because, in fact, the person we are working with has them.
As a MI practitioner, our job is to offer to walk in partnership with those we work with. Ultimately, we strive to believe in and draw forth the inner wisdom of our clients. Because it’s there. It’s ‘the voice.”
Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: I invite you to set down the beliefs you have been carrying around needing to know, fix, or orchestrate change for your clients. What is it like to sit back in your chair and practice believing there is a wise voice inside of them? To consider that your role is to walk in partnership with that person to draw forth that voice?
