Webster’s dictionary defines resentment as “a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury.” It is very uncomfortable and yet can be useful if we attend to it.

In the last three Tips, we have looked at important processes that occur in all motivational interviews. The first three processes – engaging, focusing and evoking – are always present in true MI sessions.

Tip #114 introduced the four processes that are now used in the collaborative conversation called motivational interviewing: engaging, focusing, evoking and planning. Here we take a closer look at the evoking process.

Change counseling is most efficient and most effective when a clear focus is agreed upon.

In the last Tip, I introduced the new four processes used in the collaborative conversation called motivational interviewing: engaging, focusing, evoking and planning.

For two decades, motivational interviewing has been an exciting approach to behavior change counseling.

What to do when faced with a client who is forced to meet with you?

I am often asked, “How do you keep a client motivated?” This is a key concern in health behavior counseling, especially when the change needed is long term, such as in weight management or diabetes.

Resistance to change comes up in our work often and clients who exhibit resistance are less likely to change. Resistance is what happens when we expect or push for change when the client is not ready for that change. 

What we do and say in the first moments of an initial session have a profound impact on the whole treatment.