But My Client Isn’t Talking! Using MI in Those Awkward Silences
Reading Time: 2 minutes“How can I use MI when my client isn’t talking?” We have all been there, sitting with a less-than-talkative client as the seconds and minutes tick by. What should I say? Do I fill the space? Do I wait for them to break the...
What You Believe Matters (For Client Outcomes)
Reading Time: 2 minutesSometimes in a training, I’ll toss up a slide that says this: Do you believe that people are doing the best they can with what they have, at any given moment? Sometimes, I’ll create breakout groups to discuss this. Some folks quickly come to a...
Slot machines, My Smartphone, and MI
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat do these three things have in common? The lure of the all-powerful intermittent positive reinforcement. Let me back up here… I recently got back from a week-long vacation where there was NO CELL RECEPTION. And, just before this vacation, I...
Beware of “I Know”
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen you are sitting with a client and you start to get excited because you think you have identified what the problem is and what is needed to solve it, BEWARE! “I know” comes up for me when I think I’ve figured out: what the dilemma is...
What Helps You Stay in the Spirit of MI?
Reading Time: < 1 minutesI asked this question of my Foundations of MI training cohort today. MI spirit refers to the attitude or presence we bring to our clients. MI defines spirit as acceptance, compassion, partnership, evocation....
Hillary Bolter