What does it mean to be using Motivational Interviewing from the Inside Out?

When we are learning Motivational Interviewing, it can feel like we are trying to use skills that don’t feel organic to us. It can feel like we are trying to use MI from the outside in.

Consider the metaphor of duck feet.

When you see a duck gliding across a pond, it looks so smooth and effortless.

But under the surface, those little duck feet are doing lots of work! They are considering directions, “Where are we going?”

They are constantly adapting to wind and current and responding to all that little duck is taking in as it paddles.

Sometimes new learners feel so very busy in their heads, like little duck feet, taking it all in, trying to figure out what to say and where to guide the conversation. The co-creators of MI, Bill Miller & Steven Rollnick, have used this duck metaphor in training, to highlight just how much is going on inside of the brain of a Motivational Interviewer!

But how do we integrate a new skill so that it becomes natural to us?

How do we integrate Motivational Interviewing so that we are using it from the inside out?

Guilford Press has published a series on different modalities from the “Inside Out,” from CBT and ACT to Compassion-Focused and Schema therapy. And now there is a book on Motivational Interviewing from the Inside Out!

We are hosting the authors of this book in a free webinar next Friday!

What is MI from the Inside Out?

MI from the Inside Out looks at how we achieve excellent and nuanced MI practice.

This presentation and discussion will review where MI training has been, and introduce the Self-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR) approach, developed by James Bennett-Levy, as a method to deepen practitioners’ understanding of the underlying principles and intricacies of MI.

Participants will learn about the declarative, procedural & reflective systems (DPR) model, the role of the traditional 2-day workshop in that model, and the value that Deliberative Practice can add to a practitioner’s development. Then, participants will be introduced to the Personal Practice Model and the value that ‘Inside Out’ learning can bring us!

Motivational Interviewing Tip of the Week: Integrating Motivational Interviewing skills takes deliberate practice! It takes knowing the MI spirit and OARS skills and four tasks well enough to be able to respond, in the moment, to what is happening in conversation with a client. There’s a lot going on in the MI practitioners brain! There is intention beyond what we ask, reflect, or affirm, and so much more! Join us for learning more about how to use MI “from the inside out!”

Watch my full video here!