How does MI translate across cultures?
Motivational Interviewing is an international phenomenon.
Since the early 1980’s, Motivational Interviewing has been translated and taught in over 75 languages across 6 continents. The MINT, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, has member-trainers from over 40 different countries. To date, over 2,400 clinical controlled trials have been completed on Motivational Interviewing across a wide range of fields and nations.
But how does MI translate across cultures?
At its essence, utilizing Motivational Interviewing helps us practice cultural humility.
Through the spirit of Motivational Interviewing, we approach clients with curiosity and humility to explore what they want to change, why that chance is important to them, and how they want to go about making that change.
Motivational Interviewing is a client-centered approach rooted in empathy and evocation.
Through the spirit of Motivational Interviewing, the heart-set and mindset of the provider (interviewer) includes:
- Partnership. Our clients are the experts in their lives. Our intention as interviewers is to engage with our clients through empathy, curiosity, and evocation to understand what they want to change, why it is important to them, and how they want to go about making change.
- Empowerment. Our clients have strengths, abilities, and powerful motivations inside of them. Our role is to support the growth and change they want to make, based on their values, beliefs and culture.
- Acceptance. We believe in the inherent worth of every individual, striving to engage through positive regard, curiosity and empathy.
- Compassion. We are always working in the best interest of our clients, to support positive growth and change by supporting autonomy and choice.
And, there are adaptations to consider as we translate Motivational Interviewing across cultures!
Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: When we approach clients through the heart and mindset of Motivational Interviewing (empowerment, acceptance, compassion & partnership), we are practicing cultural humility. And, there are considerations to be made as we adapt Motivational Interviewing across cultures!
Related Posts
Less Fixing, More Listening
What most folks need is a good listening to! But as helpers, we tend to want to jump in and fix. Motivational Interviewing calls this the Fixing Reflex- our own urge to give advice, information, or try to fix a problem for a client. Or, try to fix the client! But...
Related Posts
3 Ways MI Helps Prevent Burnout
Sometimes as helping professionals, we fall into the habit of thinking we need to figure out what a client needs to change, come up with motivations for them and figure out how they should go about making that change. In the first training that I attended in...
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!
