Dr. Beth Forhman

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling approach developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick with the aim of facilitating and engaging intrinsic motivation within the client in order to change behavior. It is a client-centered, directive method for enhancing an individual’s motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. Unlike traditional directive or confrontational therapies, MI operates through guiding rather than directing, and eliciting rather than informing. This approach seeks to empower the individual to change by finding the motivation within themselves rather than relying on external pressures or consequences. MI is particularly effective in the fields of addiction, health care, and psychological disorders, where resistance to change is a significant challenge.

The essence of Motivational Interviewing is its focus on collaborating with the client to foster a respectful and non-judgmental conversation about change. Therapists using MI techniques engage clients in a manner that honors their autonomy and encourages them to verbalize their own reasons for change, their fears, and the conflicting emotions that might be preventing change. Through this process, the therapist helps the client to recognize the discrepancies between their current behaviors and their broader life values and goals, subtly steering them towards making decisions that support positive change. MI is characterized by four key processes: engaging (establishing a trusting relationship), focusing (identifying the direction for change), evoking (eliciting the client’s motivations for change), and planning (developing a commitment to change and formulating a plan of action). This empathetic and empowering approach supports the notion that true and lasting change comes from within the individual.