The messages you give patients are often well-thought out, yet patients often don’t seem to respond or be motivated enough to change their behaviour.

Learning points

The messages you give patients are often well-thought out, yet patients often don’t seem to respond or be motivated enough to change their behaviour.  Is the way you deliver messages important? Motivational interviewing (MI) is a style and set of skills designed to address this challenge.  A large body of research (over 1300 controlled trials) seem to confirm that it is possible to hold back from telling patients why or how they might change, and instead,  guide them to do this form themselves.  This series of three mini-lectures includes simulated demonstrations of MI, designed to encourage you to improve your consulting style and use of skills like listening, affirming, giving advice, and so on.  Singposts to further learning are provided.

Reference list

Stephen Rollnick, Jonathan Fader, Jeff Breckon & Terri Moyers (2019) Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sports. Guilford Press: New York

Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller & Christopher C. Butler (2008) Motivational Interviewing in Health Care. Guilford Press: New York

David B. Rosengren (2009) Building Motivational Interviewing Skills: A Practitioner Guilford Press: New York

William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick (2013) Motivational Interviewing, Third Edition: Helping People Change (Applications of Motivational Interviewing) Guilford Press: New York

Sylvie Naar & Steven Safren (2017) Motivational Interviewing & CBT. Guilford Press: New York

Stephen Rollnick, Sebastian Kaplan & Richard Rutschman (2016) Motivational Interviewing in Schools. Guilford Press: New York

Christopher C. Wagner & Karen S. Ingersoll, with contributors (2012) Motivational Interviewing in Groups (Applications of Motivational Interviewing) Guilford Press: New York