Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change (3rd edition)

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is still a relatively recent approach. It first emerged in the early 1980s as a result of Miller’s reflections on how to improve his clinical psychology practice. However, the first edition of the text book was not published until 1992. Since then the popularity of MI has burgeoned, as has the evidence for its effectiveness in a range of workplace contexts. For those unfamiliar with MI, the authors describe it as a ‘collaborative communication style’. They state MI practitioners ‘guide’ conversations rather than ‘direct’ them or simply react or ‘follow’. In other words, MI does not tell people what to do (directing), nor does it just mean good listening (following); the authors describe it as the ‘middle ground’ between the two requiring a practitioner who is a good listener but can also offer expertise where and when appropriate. MI offers: