Motivational Interviewing with Veterans, Service Members & Military Connected Families

For those of you in the U.S., I hope you had a wonderful Veterans Day holiday yesterday!

In many ways, Veterans taught me that I needed Motivational Interviewing.

I was a newly graduated social worker when I began my federal service at the VA. I had no formal training in Motivational Interviewing back then. I was eager, ready to help, chocked full of ideas and services to link vets to… I was ready to help them make the changes they needed!

Initially, the veterans I worked with didn’t trust me. They knew right away I was not a vet myself. They saw my naive eagerness to help.

The veterans would show me respect when I talked about all the resources and ideas for them. And then, many would not do a single thing I had recommended.

That’s when I took my first course in Motivational Interviewing.

As I implemented Motivational Interviewing, I watched the relationships with the veterans I worked with deepen as I talked less and listened more. I stopped trying to prove my expertise in helping them, and got more curious about their experiences. I stopped trying to come up with solutions for them, and evoked their ideas. And, I learned how essential it was to be genuine.

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: 3 MI tips for working with Military-Connected Clients:

1. Get curious. Sure, you may not be a Veteran yourself, and may find yourself trying to establish trust and rapport by sharing your resume or credentials. Release the need to know, and get curious! Don’t make assumptions. Instead, ask open-ended questions, and practice deep listening. Every Veteran has their own unique experience!
2. Embrace teamwork! Get collaborative with your military-connected clients. Before you share your ideas or resources, or give advice, ask what they already know! They know more about their lives than we do, and are more likely to have good ideas that will work best for them. Get to know their values and mission, and offer support in getting them there! Offer your partnership & support rather than trying to be an expert in their experiences or what they need.
3. Genuineness is everything. Veterans can see bologna a mile away. Don’t try to know more than you do about their service time. Return to #1, get curious! Be you, be humble, be real. It’s the best chance you have of earning their respect and trust.

I have so much more for you related to Motivational Interviewing and Veterans! Join our free 2- hour webinar here! (And if you cannot attend live, sign up for recording access! Otherwise, we will add it to our on-demand CE MI Learning Library in about a month!