A therapeutic tool built around the principles of flexibility, empathy and organicness, Motivational Interviewing training is a key piece of learning for anyone who wants to create change in service users or patients. As well as helping you and your team develop a natural empathy, Motivational Interviewing training hands you a set of ready-made tools and techniques to tailor to each of your clients, and enable lasting change. So what can you expect from Motivational Interviewing training?
1. Building Rapport 
At its heart, Motivational Interviewing is a form of organic conversation designed to create change. In order for that change to take place, building rapport is key to every interaction you have with your client. You are contagious, and your body language is too; taking steps to build immediate trust will ensure your client fully invests in you and their own change process.
Learning how best to intuit body language makes for the most successful approach to your clients’ therapy. A cornerstone of your Motivational Interviewing training, building rapport through body posture, verbal communications and focus on your client ensures a trusting relationship is nurtured from the very start of their journey with you.
2. Asking Open Questions within Motivational Interviewing Training
Open questions encourage your clients to share relevant information, without pushing them too far, or leading them down a presumed path. Asking questions such as ‘how would you like for things to be different?’, ‘what will happen if you don’t change?’ or ‘what would you like your life to be like one year from now?’ act to positively influence your clients. Motivational Interviewing helps you to trust your instinct and use effective questioning to take risks so you may start by asking someone ‘What they like most about their destructive behaviours’ before you even consider making them think of reasons to change. This helps them feel listened to. Encouraging thoughts moving past the change process, creating optimism about the future and breaking down negative thinking patterns all ensure your client can focus on working on the best version of themselves they can.
3. Giving Affirmations
Positive language is contagious. Confirming how well your client is doing with an affirmation or positive reinforcement gives them evidence that they’re making real progress.
Your Motivational Interviewing training provides you with the language and responses you need to best demonstrate your patient’s strengths. Whether it’s’ emphasising past successes or prompting your client to recognise how far they’ve come, taking the time to give and receive affirmations builds trust, and maintains that change is a process, not an instant fix.
4. Supporting Self-Efficacy
The least helpful way to give information to a client is to directly offer it to them. Taking a sense of control away from a client goes directly against the spirit of Motivational Interviewing training, and can create resistance that is difficult to move away from. By seeking permission to offer your suggestions, you can hand the reins of control back to your them – after all, they are the expert in them. Finding out what they know by revisiting previous conversations, gently reminding them what you do and focusing on how their change could best work for them ensures your client can feel their way into recovery, supported by you instead of being pushed.
Your team’s Motivational Interviewing training will build on your team’s natural ability to create change for the most effective guide to your client’s recovery. Contact Betterminds to refresh your knowledge.