Motivational Interviewing with Families

We typically think about Motivational Interviewing as something we use in a one-on-one conversation.

But what about when you are working with a family system?

Dr. Doug Smith recently authored a book on the topic! 

There are definitely nuances and adaptations to be considered when using MI with families.

Family members can play crucial roles in treatment for addictions and other behavioral health challenges, and therefore learn how to utilize MI to evoke motivations toward change. So Motivational Interviewing can be used to engage family members toward essential roles in treatment and change.  It is common for family members to have ambivalence about their own engagement in family member treatment, or they may need support shifting the ways they engage with each other! Lots of potential MI applications!

With families, so many change targets exist! We know that the in-session levels that clients express motivation to change, AKA ‘change talk,’ predicts future change. Consider all the various ‘change targets’ when working with family members, the dynamics, and how eliciting change talk applies! When using MI with families, there are some adaptations to consider for use with family members. 

Love hearing about how MI applies to different areas? Check out our special topics MI courses! We have MI with Groups, MI with Couples, and more! Or, you can browse our short courses by CE approval!

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: Motivational Interviewing can be applied to more than individual conversations. There is now research and books written on MI in Groups, MI with Couples, and now, MI with Families. Consider the dilemma of engaging family members — and know that MI is an excellent tool for engaging folks experiencing ambivalence! There are adaptations to consider, as there are many ‘change targets’ with a family system, and so many more nuances and adaptations.