Motivational Interviewing
Overall I found the experience uplifting and positive. I have some useful strategies to use in my work and believe I am better informed as to new language and concepts that are now part of motivational interviewing as it is used in the present.
– Corrections New Zealand Staff –
What is Motivational Interviewing?
Supporting behaviour change has been at the core of our practice at HMA since we began. Having worked in some of the most challenging areas of practice we know that without building a stable working alliance and strong partnership with the people who we work with, then change can be limited. Motivation can be defined as the probability that a person will enter into, continue, and adhere to a specific change strategy. In terms of motivational interviewing, it is a key worker’s task to increase the amount of ‘change talk’ (talk favouring change) and soften the amount of ‘sustain talk’ (talk that supports the current behaviour).
We know that the cornerstones of motivation are:
- Motivation is modifiable. Like overt behaviour, it can be increased or decreased via lawful principles of human nature
- Motivation is a matter of probabilities. How likely is the person to initiate and persist in a particular action? It is about initiating and directing action
- Motivation is an interpersonal phenomenon, something that occurs and changes within the context of human relationships
- Motivation is often specific to a course of action. A person may be unmotivated (low probability) for one type of treatment or change, but quite ready to participate in another
- Motivation is intrinsic as well as extrinsic. Although it is possible to coerce behaviour change when one has control over external contingencies, intrinsically motivated change is more likely to last
- Intrinsic motivation for change is engaged by eliciting it from rather than installing it in the person
From these perspectives, it is not sensible for the key worker to blame a person for being unmotivated to change, any more than a salesperson would blame a potential customer for being unmotivated to buy. Developing motivation is an intrinsic and central part of the key worker’s task in helping clients to live a good life.
Motivational interviewing is a particular way to help people recognise and do something about their current and/or potential problems. It is very useful for people who are reluctant to change or who are ambivalent about changing. It is intended to assist the person resolve ambivalence and to get them moving along a path of change.
Why is this important to us?
Helping people have better lives is at the heart of most social change. A number of HMA staff and associates are members of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers because we believe in the validity of the approach and also our own accountability to deliver any training with integrity. We know that people often are the best resource so evoking their own effective strategies to manage situations is much more effective in the long term around sustained change.
Our track record
HMA has successfully managed and/or contributed to a number of pieces of work for the organisations within New Zealand and Australia including:
- Facilitated numerous foundation and advanced motivational interviewing training across jurisdictions in both New Zealand and Australia
- Developed a number of e-learning packages around Motivational Interviewing
- Incorporated motivational interviewing ideas into a number of our programme designs
- Development and delivery of advanced training modules Motivational Techniques (3 days) and Development of Motivational Interviewing two-day curriculum package for New Zealand Corrections
- Designed Talking Change Program (12 hours) – a Motivational Interviewing based readiness programme