What is motivational interviewing?

MI is a collaborative communication style for strengthening a person's own motivation and commitment to change. In brief, the role of helping professionals is to assist clients to become more aware of the implications of change, and/or of not changing, through a non-judgmental conversation in which clients do most of the talking.

According to the founders of motivational interviewing, “Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with non-directive counseling, it is more focused and goal-directed. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is its central purpose, and the counselor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal.” Rollnick, S., & Miller, W. (1995). What is Motivational Interviewing? Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23(4), 325-334.

MI, which originated in the early 1980s, has become a well-recognized brand of counseling. Interest in MI continues to grow at a rapid pace, perhaps because it is short term, teachable, and has a humanistic philosophy. Many factors contribute to the wide implementation of MI. The scientific evidence base for MI is growing, yet the primary appeal may be its wide application in many different behavioral domains and client categories.