Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a counseling approach to enhance intrinsic motivation to change behavior by resolving uncertainty. This article discusses its features, opportunities, and reflection on the clinical interview process. The response of the client to motivational interview and what could be done differently is also highlighted.

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Motivational interviewing
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MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
Motivation is the act of developing an inner passion for something to achieve the
desired goal. In our lives, we need motivation to achieve our goals. Sometimes we may feel
demotivated or feel so low that we give up or feel discouraged and that is when we need
motivation at its most. Through counseling and guidance, we are able to ignite the fire within us
and achieve our desired goals. (Lee, Ehrlich-Jones and Bristow, 2016). There are several people who
are living testimonies of what motivation can do and what it has already done for them in their
lives. It is also good to note that motivation is a step by step process where the process of change
is done gradually. There are various approaches to motivational counseling, and the most
commonly used method is motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing is a directive
approach or method to enhance intrinsic motivation to change behavior by resolving uncertainty
(Lindson‐Hawley, Thompson and Begh, 2015).
Features of motivational interviewing employed by the interviewer.
Sympathy expression through reflective listening - the interviewer was actively
listening to the client, and this helped build a good rapport with him. Listening is the most
important skill during any motivational interview. She also avoided interrupting the client before
he was finished which is a good practice during motivational interviewing.
Avoiding confrontation which could lead to rising of argument- the interviewer
avoided confrontation which led the client to open up about his problems as he felt safe and he
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could trust the interviewer. Direct confrontation makes one feel insecure and is more likely to get
angry especially if the client has anger issues. (Charania, Webb, Cox, Jackson and Prime, 2017).
Adjusting to client resistance rather than opposing them directly- the interviewer
collaborated with the client’s resistance and used polite ways to correct him throughout the
interview. This helps avoid any sorts of argument that may rise once you oppose clients directly.
Developing discrepancy between the client’s goals and values and their current
behavior- after interacting with the client, the interviewer was able to know the values and goals
of the client although they did not match his current behavior. This created a good basis on
where to focus on during the motivation. Lack of motivation is a key issue hindering the client
from achieving his goals.
Opportunities where the interviewer needed to use motivational interviewing but
did not.
Where the client said that he skipped work for two days. I felt that the interviewer
could have gone deeper into the case to establish a good cause for the client not showing up at
work and maybe telling him of the consequences or drawbacks that could result from the
behavior.
Where the client had gone for two weeks without using cocaine- I felt that the
interviewer should have motivated him by telling him that that was a good start and he should
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keep on doing that since this was not an easy task as the client clearly puts it. Such achievements
deserve to be commended (Hall, Staiger, Simpson, Best and Lubman, 2016).
Where the client talked of peer influence that his friends would make fun of him once he
stopped using the drugs, but the interviewer did not console or even motivate him on how to
cope up with the problem. Instead, she just went on to ask the next question.
Reflection on the clinical interview process.
What the interviewer has done well.
The interview was great as the flow of events was good since the interviewer had a
start point which involved knowing the condition of the client and establishing the cause of the
counseling session and would guide them throughout the interview. There are scenarios where
interviewers don’t have clear start points.
Maintaining eye contact with the client helps improve confidence which will boost one’s
morale and is a good practice used in the interview.
Also, the questions asked were brief, clear and objective. The questions were easy to
understand, and the client had no difficulty answering them (Jiang, Wu & Gao, 2017). Objective
questions made sure that they stayed on the topic and did not create awkward moments. Brief
questions also helped reduce complexity as the client could easily answer.
The interviewer was fluent and eloquent when asking questions thus; there was no
difficulty in communication (Whittle, Buckelew, Satterfield, Lum & O'Sullivan, 2015).
Eloquence and clarity is an aspect to be observed for one to have a successful interview.
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Use of personal experiences to help the client where she said that financial classes really
helped her and recommended that the client should start taking them. This is good practice as it
helps the client realize that such practices work and are true. It also helps build a bond between
the client and the interviewer.
The interviewer was polite, and this can be seen from her tone as she was asking the
questions. This practice helps to avoid confrontation and also makes the client to open up and
speak his mind hence promoting a fruitful interview (Arkowitz, Miller & Rollnick, 2015). It also
reduces biasness of the information given as politeness is interpreted as a request.
The interviewer was sympathetic and empathetic since it can be seen that she really
wants to help the client as he is sympathizing with his condition.
At the very end, she asks the client if there is any problem or issue that he feels that they
need to discuss before ending the session. This creates an opportunity for the client to open up if
there are issues that he was holding back or get clarification on what he did not get. It also
creates a chance for him to express his feelings on how he felt during the whole interview
session.
Aspects the interviewer needs to focus on.
Among the issues that the interviewer has to focus on is drug abuse. This is because
drug abuse is the main cause that the client needs to resolve in order to live his normal life. She
should establish the cause or reason for drug abuse and try to resolve the issue. Drug abuse is the
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reason why his life is disoriented, and he feels that upon solving the issue, he will put his
finances into better use and also improve on his social life. It is seen that the interviewer is
trying to provide solutions on the prevention of drug abuse (Moyers, Rowell, Manuel, Ernst and
Houck, 2016).
The goals, values, and behavior of the client is an aspect the interviewer needs to focus
on to improve the client's condition. It is seen that the client has clear and achievable goals and
good moral values only that drug abuse is holding him back. Thus his behavior is wanting and
needs to be corrected (Madson, Schumacher, Baer & Martino, 2016). The client is also sincere
about accomplishing his goals only that he lacks motivation.
Another aspect that the interviewer needs to focus on is change. Change in character,
behavior, and lifestyle of the client. For the whole motivation process to work, change is needed.
The interviewer needs to show the client that all they have done is worthless is he is not willing
to change. Change is what will result in him achieving all the goals he set and also correct some
of his bad behaviors.
The response of the client to motivational interview.
At first, he felt that it would be very awkward about him talking about his problems to
someone, but he appreciated how well she listened and also praised the environment (Schwalbe,
Oh, & Zweben, 2014). He also goes ahead to say that the last interview session went better than
he expected it to have.
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He sounds relieved as he has someone to listen to his problems.
He sees the interview as helpful as he even agrees to take on the financial classes
suggested to him but the interviewer. He is also willing to change as he has a platform where he
can talk openly about his problems (Magill, Apodaca., Borsari, Gaume, Hoadley, Gordon, &
Moyers, 2018).
It is also noted that he likes the session as there are no signs of him showing boredom and
his will and interest can be seen throughout the session.
Another evidence to show that the client enjoys the session is that he agrees to attend
the interview on the following week and even thanks the interviewer for the session. This shows
that he is willing to continue taking motivational sessions so as to change.
What could be done differently.
In the interview, the interviewer is reading questions from a booklet. This is not
recommended as the questions should arise from the topics they are to discuss on. The questions
asked should be unplanned for since they come up as both parties are talking as the interviewer
observes and listens to the client’s situations and opinion respectively (Gecht-Silver, Lee,
Ehrlich-Jones, & Bristow, 2016). Reading questions from a booklet makes the session seem
boring as there is a low rate of interaction.
The interviewer should also give more real-life examples on the situation that made
people change their lives positively. This helps make the session more interactive.
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In the session, it is observed that the questions are one-sided as the interviewer is the
only one who is asking questions. A platform should be created where both parties are asking
questions to enhance interaction and reduce the biasness of information (Osilla, Ortiz, Miles,
Pedersen, Houck and D'amico, 2015).
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References
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Jiang, S., Wu, L., & Gao, X. (2017). Beyond face-to-face individual counseling: A systematic
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Whittle, A. E., Buckelew, S. M., Satterfield, J. M., Lum, P. J., & O'Sullivan, P. (2015).
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