motivational interviewing in social work essay

How to use motivational interviewing in social work

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Motivational Interviewing Reflection

Bachelors of social work (1666), western sydney university, recommended for you, students also viewed.

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This Essay will address the use of Motivational interviewing and how it relates to social work practice. The essay will delve into Motivational interviewing principles and techniques and as well as the compatibility of these methods with social work practice. The student has done an interview that will be further discussed and explored at the end of the essay to provide reflection and assessment of effectiveness of motivational interviewing.

Research motivational interviewing: assumptions, principles, and techniques. A minimum of three academic sources are to be used: Motivational interviewing (MI) is often defined as assisting style of working with clients. It utilizes goal-oriented approach of communication and particular importance on the language of change (Payne, M., Hall, E, 2019), which is applied repeatedly when motivating clients to make their own change. This is intended to support client to owe their goal and commitment to a particular goal. The three concepts used in motivational interviewing are readiness, ambivalence, and resistance. This is seen in when practitioners express understanding by intently listening, averting friction by eluding non-productive dialogue, encouraging client self-efficacy and the use of incongruity to bring clarity to the client behaviour (Rollnick, S., & Allison, J. 2004). Additionally, there are various techniques used in motivational interviewing that create a safe environment for example asking permission from the client before talking about change. This type of Interaction shows appreciation and respect for the client (Sobell & Sobell, 2008). In addition, eliciting a conversation about change allows clients to articulate their own motives for wanting change without professional’s interjections. Furthermore, Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based approach which uses compassion as an essential principle to effectively confronting client’s concerns (Greeno, E., Ting, L., Pecukonis, E., Hodorowicz, M., & Wade, K., 2017).

Discuss if and how MI is suited to social work. Correspondingly, Social work Code of Ethics correlates to some of Motivational interviewing principles and values such as compassion, value of dignity, importance of individual and social justice. Motivational Interviewing change the way client behaviour is seen and provided ways to encourage clients to modify their habit with support (Atkinson& Woods, 2017). Also, Motivational interviewing can be seen as appropriate for social work practice

because it is consistent with social work standards and principles. For example, Motivational interviewing is a client-focused method to behaviour change. This connects to social work ethical guidelines of self-determination which promote clients to do things at their own pace toward change in accordance with individual prefers (Wahab, S. 2005). Moreover, there’s links to social work values in Motivational Interviewing for example it is seen through the regard for diversity and social work value of significance of relationship. Motivational Interviewing can be integrated in other areas of social work such as Child protection and Domestic Violence fields as a helpful intervention technique. Arguable Motivational Interviewing has vast study on how sympathy and change talk affect change (Egizio, L., Smith, D., Wahab, S., Bennett, K., 2019), in clients. Likewise, some of the constraints of Motivational Interviewing would be the poor consideration of environmental factors and absence of prominence on other methods.

In this part of the Essay, I will be delving into my own reflection about the video of my motivational interviewing with classmate. I will examine the planning stage, and the skills a notice through watching the video.

Describe how MI influenced your interview planning and execution, giving reasons for choosing questions or strategies during the interview. Firstly, in the initially planning stage I was nervous, I looked at various recommended readings, videos, and lecture. Watching videos help ease my nerves, I also witness a face-to- face presentation presented in the class which showed me how to create a safe environment through body language and tone of voice. During the planning stage I played with various ways of asking the clients questions that would elicit or evoking change in conversation. I also weed out questions that were not beneficial or irrelevant. As a result of learning about the fourteen techniques/strategies of motivational interviewing (Sobell & Sobell, 2008) I applied various techniques into the interviewing. This allowed me to be able to encourage client to consider change in a practical and essential way. Initially I did some research on the smoking habit and some potential ways to assist the client in that change, background knowledge was beneficial during the interview. Learning about Motivational Interviewing showed me the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication with clients and the power of words if used correctly in inciting change.

Assessing My skills, I believe there were satisfactory, I believe there’s room for improvement especially in my speech and clarity around questionings. At the beginning of the interview, I was nervous but as the interview continued, I started to become more comfortable. Some of positives that I did implement that were valuable in the interviewing were facing the client and my body language was very open, engaging and encouraging. My usage of directive questioning allowed the client to answer honestly and directivity. On the other hand, some of the limitations that I notice from the video is my poor lack of redirecting the client when she was getting of topic. I also notice that I should’ve used more affirmative statements during the interview. Motivational Interviewing is intended to support individual own motivation and commitment to specific (Egizio, L., Smith, D., Wahab, S., Bennett, K., 2019) goals, in this interview I know we tap on it but do believe there’s some areas I can improved on with practice.

Atkinson, C., & Woods, K. (2017). Establishing theoretical stability and treatment integrity for motivational interviewing. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 45(4), 337– 350 Egizio, L., Smith, D., Wahab, S., Bennett, K., (2019)., Motivational interviewing’s theory of practice for social work, The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Theory, 1 st Edition, pg 10 Greeno, E., Ting, L., Pecukonis, E., Hodorowicz, M., & Wade, K., (2017) The role of empathy in training social work students in motivational interviewing, Social Work Education, 36:7, 794-808, DOI: 10.1080/02615479. Payne, M., & Reith-Hall, E. (Eds.). (2019). The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Theory (1st ed.). Routledge. doi-org.ezproxy.uws.edu/10.4324/ Rollnick, & Allison, J. (2004). Motivational interviewing. In T. Stockwell & N. Heather (Eds.), The essential handbook of treatment and prevention of alcohol problems (pp. 105–114 (chp 7)). Chichester, UK: Wiley. ezproxy.uws.edu/login? url=readings.westernsydney.edu/imageserver/reservesViewer.php? reserve= Rollnick, S., Butler, C. C., Kinnersley, P., Gregory, J., & Mash, B., BMJ. (2010) , British Medical Journal, 340 (7758 )20101242 – 1245 Teater, B., & Kondrat (2010). Introduction to applying social work theories and methods. McGraw-Hill Education. Wahab, S. (2005). Motivational Interviewing and Social Work Practice. Journal of Social Work, 5(1), 45–60. doi/10.1177/

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Motivational Interviewing and Social Work Practice

2005, Journal of Social Work

• Summary: Motivational interviewing was proposed as an alternative model to direct persuasion for facilitating behavior change. Social work behavior change interventions have traditionally focused on increasing skills and reducing barriers. More recent recommendations tend to encourage practitioners to explore a broad range of issues, including but not limited to skills and barriers. The article defines and explains motivational interviewing by presenting its essential spirit and techniques, and provides a brief case example within a domestic violence context. • Findings: This article proposes motivational interviewing as an intervention appropriate for social work practice concerned with behavior change by arguing that motivational interviewing is an exciting intervention model for numerous social work settings due to its consistency with core social work values, ethics, resources, and evidence-based practice. • Applications: Social workers may strive to practice and test motivational interviewing in addictions settings, as well as within other critical social work arenas including but not limited to health, domestic violence, batterer treatment, gambling, HIV/AIDS prevention, dual disorders, eating disorders, and child welfare.

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Social Work in Public Health, 2016

To better address the needs of individuals with a range of complex health conditions, the Affordable Care Act has shifted the focus from acute care to prevention through behavior change and promoted the integration of physical and behavioral healthcare systems. Central to healthcare reform is delivering person-centered care, which means actively engaging people in their treatment decisions and managing their wellness. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is perhaps the most widely used intervention to promote behavior change. Although MI is utilized across most health disciplines, social workers are uniquely positioned to lead dissemination and ongoing training efforts in this area.

Research on Social Work Practice, 2019

Purpose:This systematic review was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI), by social workers, on service user outcomes.Methods:A literature search was undertaken between 2007 and 2018. All eligible studies were analyzed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. As heterogeneity was high, a narrative synthesis approach was employed, using thematic analysis for categorizing data.Results:Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. MI had a positive effect on service user experience, but this was not consistent. Training was variable, but the evidence suggests that practitioner’s need ongoing training, supervision, or coaching while providing MI.Discussion:There is a paucity of research examining the impact of MI on children, which was a limitation of this review. There is a need for more qualitative research to surface views and experience of service users to determine why MI is effective.

Partner abuse, 2022

Client engagement is an essential component in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) treatment. Engaged clients are more likely to engage with treatment and report a greater degree of treatment satisfaction. Likewise, enhanced engagement is associated with positive treatment outcomes such as session attendance and homework compliance. Only small effect sizes have been reported for reductions in IPV itself, and treatment engagement has been identified as an important factor in this, with studies reporting high rates of non-attendance and drop-out. This article reviews research on the efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) as a pre-treatment intervention to promote treatment engagement for men who have been mandated or self-referred to attend Intimate Partner Violence treatment. Although limited in number (n = 5), these studies revealed a significant improvement in the level of engagement, session attendance and homework compliance following MI. Further research to focus on MI for treatment engagement, specifically, rather than MI for behaviour change is needed.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 2008

Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2018

Journal of Family Violence

Purpose Despite the increasing number of elder abuse and self-neglect (EASN) cases, many older adults are reluctant to engage with formal support services, such as Adult Protective Services (APS). This study examined the use of motivational interviewing (MI) by advocates, as a component of a larger EASN intervention, RISE (Repair Harm, Inspire Change, Support Connection, Empower Choice), implemented in partnership with APS. Advocates applied MI as part of RISE to help clients explore and resolve ambivalence around pursuing change and ultimately enhance service engagement. Methods This study conducted qualitative interviews and a focus group with all RISE advocates (n = 4) to understand how MI is applied in the context of an EASN intervention with older adult clients. A descriptive phenomenological approach involving two independent assessors was used to code verbatim transcripts into themes. Results Three domains were identified: (1) therapeutic relationship, which describes the importance of foundational relationship building in MI to support older adults who have experienced EASN; (2) techniques, which refers to MI strategies advocates apply and adapt in the context of EASN intervention; and (3) implementation challenges, which reflects the difficulties advocates encounter when using MI in cases of EASN. Conclusions The experiences of advocates suggest MI is a beneficial and amenable approach to help older adults who have experienced EASN navigate issues of ambivalence and explore their motivation for change. This study represents the first in-depth exploration of MI in the context of EASN intervention.

Children and Youth Services Review, 2018

There has been interest in developing more evidence-based approaches to child and family social work in the UK in recent years. This study examines the impact of a skills development package of training and supervision in Motivational Interviewing (MI) on the skills of social workers and the engagement of parents through a randomized controlled trial. All workers in one local authority were randomly assigned to receive the package (n = 28) or control (n = 33). Families were then randomized to trained (n = 67) or untrained (n = 98) workers. Family meetings with the worker shortly after allocation were evaluated for MI skill. Research interviews gathered data including the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). Follow-up interviews 20 weeks later repeated the WAI, and other outcome measures including Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and rating of family life. Between group analysis found statistically significant difference in MI skills, though these was not substantial (2.49 in control, 2.91 MI trained, p = .049). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any other outcome measures. The package of training and supervision did not create sufficient increase in MI skills to influence engagement or outcomes. Implications for understanding the relationship between skills, engagement and organizational change are discussed.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2003

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a directive, client-centered brief intervention to elicit behavior change by helping clients explore and resolve ambivalence. In this clinical trial, 152 outpatients and 56 inpatients entering public agencies for treatment of drug problems were randomly assigned to receive or not receive a single session of manual-guided MI. Drug use was assessed by self-report, urine toxicology, and collateral reports from significant others at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Contrary to prior reports, MI showed no effect on drug use outcomes when added to inpatient or outpatient treatment, although both groups showed substantial increases in abstinence from illicit drugs and alcohol.

The American Journal on Addictions, 2001

Sixty individuals referred for a substance abuse evaluation by a child welfare worker were randomly assigned to either a standard evaluation or an evaluation enhanced by Motivational Interviewing techniques, each delivered in a single session. Participants who received the enhanced evaluation were significantly more likely to attend at least one additional treatment session after the initial evaluation (59% versus 29%). This finding suggests that comparatively inexpensive modifications of "standard" initial evaluations with substance-using parents may increase engagement of substance-abusing parents in treatment. Moreover, this study adds to an overwhelmingly positive literature supporting Motivational Interviewing with alcohol-using populations and extends prior findings to non-research community settings.

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Motivational interviewing: what it is and how you can use it in social work

New podcast includes improvised scenarios showing an mi approach in action.

What is motivational interviewing?

Lydia Guthrie:  “Motivational interviewing is an approach to being with people in conversations to support them to make changes in their behaviour. And one of the things that is really special about motivational interviewing is that it works in a way which balances being directive with also being supportive and non-judgemental. So it’s not the same as a pure counselling approach, where you might take the position of, ‘It’s not for me as the worker to have an opinion. I’m here to support you to work out what’s best for you.’ So it’s not that end of the scale. Nor is it the other end of the scale of, ‘You need to listen to me and do what I say, ‘cause I’m going to tell you what to do.’ It’s a way of working that very explicitly aims to sit in the middle, between those poles, and offer support and guidance.

It’s underpinned by a really important set of beliefs about how to work alongside people, which are really compatible with some of the key social work values, such as recognising that people are the experts in their own lives, recognising that it’s really important to focus on strengths, what resources people have, the changes that they have been able to make and issues about their value base and their identity.”

David Wilkins:  “For me MI is both a set of techniques, a communication style, it’s a set of skills that you can learn and you can develop and you can practise, just like you can with other skill sets. So that’s things like using a particular language, using open questions, using reflections, affirmations […] So there’s a set of skills that people can learn, but it’s also exactly as Lydia said, a way of being with people. It’s a concept about actually how do people change and how do I help people to change, and there’s a kind of philosophy that underpins that, which is almost embodied in the skills but in some ways separate from them.

I think very high-level MI practitioners may end up using the techniques a little bit differently from how they’re set out in the textbooks, but actually it’s about embodying that philosophy that, ‘I’m here to help, I’m here to support. I am here to challenge but it’s about how I do that and why I do that.’ And it’s about not coercing or manipulating people. It’s about working alongside them – exactly as Lydia said – as human beings, and how would I like to be helped if I needed to change, and it’s bringing that philosophy alive, and that’s where the techniques come in as a way of doing that. But I think it’s not a set of techniques. It’s neither a philosophy. It’s the combination of the two.”

Four key parts of the motivational interviewing approach are known by the OARS acronym. Guthrie describes them:

Open-ended questions : Most social workers are really familiar with this idea of not asking closed questions, and instead asking questions which seek more information or ask someone to say something about how they view their world, to give information that isn’t previously known to the social worker.

Affirmations : This is when you offer the person you’re speaking to an observation of something that you’ve noticed that is important to them, either something they’ve achieved or a value they hold dear.

Reflections : These are not questions. It’s reflective listening, repeating parts of what the other person says, but not as questions. It’s really crucial that your tone of voice doesn’t go up at the end. It’s like taking a verbal highlighter pen to something that you’ve just heard the person say. You can do that on the contents of what they say, which is the simplest form, where you just repeat back some words. You can also do that on the meaning of what they say, or offer a feeling reflection, reflecting back to the other person an impression you’re getting of a feeling that they might be experiencing or something that really matters to them.

Summaries : You can be very strategic in what you summarise. Summarising the change talk that you hear, summarising the things that the person has said which indicate that they’re already thinking about changing or have already taken some tiny steps towards changing.

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5 Responses to Motivational interviewing: what it is and how you can use it in social work

A SOUND AND TIMELY ARTICLE! C’ est le ton qui fait la musique !.

May be one point to be added: The reality of law, regulation, policy and, above all, risk cannot be

camouflaged in good supervision and advice.

I have done some nhs training in motivational interviewing and used it in working with families. I would like to read more on the research and scientific evidence behind it.

Most families will see right through that. Patronising.

Very effective way of working in substance misuse social work .

The important thing is that MI should be genuinely felt by the practitioner. You are absolutely right that people will see through this otherwise. MI is not a set of techniques to ‘trick’ the person into doing something they don’t want to do. This is why Miller and Rollnick (and MI practitioners) emphasise the importance of the spirit of MI. This is the atmosphere that the worker creates that makes it more likely that the service user will engage and feel open to explore their ambivalence about making change.

We know that it is hard to make change and we instinctively know that telling people what to do is unhelpful (and often counter-productive). MI gives us a way of responding to people that often fits with social workers’ own values of respecting a person’s autonomy and working collaboratively.

As a social worker and trainer in MI, I have found it to be an invaluable skill and think it is really well suited to social work settings.

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