Practicing MI
I've had a week of role-playing Motivational Interviewing (MI).
First, we learned the theory. Then, we practiced on each other. It was such a fun way to learn!
Here are a few of the things I wanted to share with you this week.
The spirit of MI
MI is a way of being with others, rather than something that you do. In MI, you focus on fostering a partnership with the client by accepting them for who they are and showing them compassion for their difficulties, yet empowering them towards change.
Acceptance is a key component of MI. It's one of my words for the year, so I was interested in learning more about this value in the context of treatment.
You accept someone by respecting their autonomy, confirming and highlighting their strengths, and emphasising their inherent worth as a human being. Everyone has potential.
The goal of MI is to elicit change talk and dampen sustain talk. In theory, it sounds simple. In practice, it's hard but also surprisingly effective.
What did I practice this week?
We role-played different scenarios and difficulties, such as addiction and anger management problems. We also looked at making lifestyle changes, for example clients who need to lose weight before an operation, yet doubt and struggle with their ability to do it.
I practiced confirming and validating the other person's thoughts and feelings. I asked open-ended questions to map out the current situation and explore more reasons for the client to change.
I used reflective listening to mirror what the client was saying, using my own words. (This is such a valuable skill, and I want to get better at it.) I also summarised what was being said so the client could hear their own thoughts, feelings, and aspirations for change in someone else's words.
Insights and personal lessons
On the whole, it was a powerful experience.
I take with me the importance of staying present with the client and curious about their way of seeing things. This gets easier when I trust the process. The conversation stalls and suffers when I get stuck in my own head. But when I focus on the client and really, really, really want to see their point of view, something magical happens. That's when the partnership comes to life and we can move forward, together.
I want to learn more about MI and keep developing these skills, since I can already see how they are making me a better listener.
Imagine a world where we would listen and treat each other the way we're taught in MI. That would be a very cool place to visit indeed.