What is Motivational Interviewing (MI)?
Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, person-centred way of talking about change. It was developed in the 1980s and 1990s by psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, first to help people with alcohol problems, and is now used for many kinds of behaviour change. MI starts from a simple observation: most people who want to change also have good reasons not to. Feeling “two ways” about change, called ambivalence, is normal. Being pushed or lectured usually makes people defend the status quo; being listened to helps them find their own reasons and their own way forward.
In MI, the therapist does not tell you what to do. They help you explore what matters to you, what you would gain and lose by changing, and how confident you feel, so that the decision and the plan are truly yours.
The spirit and core skills of MI
MI rests on a few principles: partnership between you and the therapist, acceptance of your choices and autonomy, compassion, and drawing out your own motivation rather than imposing it. In practice, therapists use four core skills, often summarised as OARS:
- Open questions that invite you to reflect, rather than answer yes or no
- Affirmations that recognise your strengths and efforts
- Reflective listening that shows you have been understood and helps you hear yourself
- Summaries that bring together what you have said and highlight your own arguments for change
The therapist pays particular attention to “change talk”, the moments when you express desire, ability, reasons or need to change, and helps it grow into commitment and concrete steps.
What MI can help with
MI is one of the best-researched approaches for behaviour change. It is used for:
- Alcohol use, cannabis and other substance use
- Stopping smoking
- Behavioural addictions such as gambling, gaming or smartphone and social media use
- Health behaviours: exercise, eating habits, sleep, following a treatment
- Procrastination and decisions that keep being postponed
- Engaging in therapy itself, when part of you is unsure it is worth it
What to expect in sessions
An MI session feels like a respectful conversation rather than an assessment. You talk about your situation and what brings you; the therapist listens closely, asks about your values and goals, and explores both sides of the change. When you feel ready, you work together on a plan: what you want to do, how, and what might get in the way. If you are not ready, that is respected too.
MI can be brief, from one to four sessions, or it can be combined with other approaches such as CBT, ACT or solution-focused therapy to build skills once motivation is in place. Sessions are available in person and online, in several languages.
Is Motivational Interviewing right for you?
MI is a good fit if you feel stuck between wanting to change and not wanting to, if you are tired of being told what to do, or if previous attempts have not lasted. It works well for people who want to stay in charge of their decisions. If your difficulties are mainly linked to trauma, severe depression or a complex mental health condition, MI is usually one part of a broader treatment rather than the whole of it. A therapist can help you decide what combination suits you.
For specialised support with addictive behaviours, see also addiction support.
