Have you ever wished you could change something about yourself, such as eating healthier or being a more active person, but struggled to even get started? Here’s where something called Motivational Interviewing, or M.I., can be of value. It’s similar to having a sympathetic guide who leads you to your own reasons for wishing to change. Arbor Wellness is one such resource, and this type of assistance is increasingly known as a method that helps people make positive changes in their lives.
Think of MI as a conversation, not a lecture. They don’t tell you what to do; they ask questions that prompt you to consider what you really want and why. Instead of telling someone, “You need to exercise more,” for example, someone employing MI may ask, “What are some things that you enjoy doing that get you moving’? or “What would be different in your life if you were active?” These questions allow you to ask yourself how you feel and why.
A major component of Motivational Interviewing is acknowledging individual differences and recognizing that behavior change is the patient’s journey. It recognizes that part of you might be a little hesitant about changing. Sure, you want to eat healthfully, but pizza! MI helps you talk through those mixed feelings, known as ambivalence, by addressing the good things and not-so-good things about both changing and doing the same thing.
MI is useful in many areas. For example, in the COVID-19 pandemic that happened a few years ago, where many people felt stressed and overwhelmed, motivational interviewing was a big help in vaccine counselling. MI techniques assisted healthcare workers in helping people to manage anxiety and make healthy choices, such as vaccination, by responding to their concerns and refraining from undue pressure. MI is also being used more recently to help young people examine their relationship with technology and establish healthy boundaries, with the ever-increasing amount of time that teens spend looking at screens.
Motivational Interviewing is an empathic, supportive, and respectful way to assist individuals with discovering their personal motivation for change. And we’re not telling you what to do; we’re guiding you to find your own reasons and your own inner strength, to move towards better choices. MI is being practiced in places like Arbor Wellness to help people live healthier, more fulfilling lives. It’s also a reminder that the possibility to change is often within us; we just need a little support to help unlock it.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/motivational-interviewing
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8200683/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambivalence
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-motivational-interviewing-22378
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-2795012
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/motivational_interviewing.html
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2011/0500/p21.html
https://iod.unh.edu/sites/default/files/media/2021-10/motivational-interviewing-the-basics-oars.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033062023000099
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment/motivational-interviewing
https://www.nbcc.org/resources/nccs/newsletter/motivational-interviewing-todd-lewis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivational_interviewing
https://marymount.edu/blog/the-role-of-empathy-in-effective-counseling-techniques-for-building-trust-and-understanding/