The Voice Inside
There is a voice inside of you
that whispers all day long,
“I feel that this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
or wise man can decide
what’s right for you – just listen to
the voice that speaks inside.
-Shel Silverstein
This sweet little poem speaks so well to the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. It’s so important to remember that our clients have wisdom, knowledge and strengths INSIDE of them!
We gotta remember that we aren’t the ones in charge, especially of other people.
- 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 we believe it’s there. It’s their “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? (Do your shoulders drop a bit? Mine do!)
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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!
