Resources

This page provides links, resources, and sources of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and coaching tools and/or skill sets to assist health professionals in implementing MI into your professional lives. These resources are in no order of importance; rather, they are intended to be a menu of options for your use.

  1. Motivational Interviewing Basics. This is an almost layperson but very useful explanation of MI with examples and explications of its fundamental principles, approaches, and acronyms to use as keys in MI use.
  2. Motivational Interviewing A Brief Introduction by Berg-Smith. This is an excellent follow-up to a first level Motivational Interviewing course experience. It provides an excellent reminder of useful MI concepts, tools, and strategies for cementing MI within health practices.
  3. Eight Stages in Learning Motivational Interviewing by William R. Miller, PhD & Theresa B. Moyers, PhD. Miller, one of the architects of MI, and Moyers, one of his colleagues at the University of New Mexico, outline a series of 8 stages by which MI practitioners acquire expertise in this method.
  4. MI Strategies and Techniques by Sobell and Sobell. This document contains lots of great suggestions about readily implementing and using MI concepts and skills and provides many practical examples.
  5. Ten Things That Motivational Interviewing is Not by Miller and Rollnick. The founders of MI discuss some of the finer points about MI; as they state, “Clarity about what does (and does not) constitute MI promotes quality assurance in scientific research, clinical practice, and training.” To our way of thinking, it is important that MI is not perceived as a magic bullet or a specific technique; rather, it is a way of being with patients and clients that helps to develop that rapport that puts the ‘I-care’ firmly into health ‘care’ and therefore into the practice of engaging with your clients and patients.
  6. Motivational Interviewing in Health Care Resource Book by Miller & Rollnick. This is a 2008 published book by the architects of Motivational Interviewing; very useful guide for health care professionals.
  7. Motivational Interviewing in Dentistry References. This set of references is specific to the extant research on MI use in oral health care. One of the few randomized clinical trials re using MI as an intervention in oral health care is provided in the Harrison (2007) reference.
  8. Published books on an extensive variety of topics, concepts, applications, specific populations, and specific health care uses are widely available. Amazon.com has an up-to-date list of these resources.
  9. Motivational Interviewing MINT Files Library. This is a library of resources provided by the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) – a wealth of resources, DVDs, and other MI applications and tools.
  1. Bibliography of MI. This is probably the most extensive bibliographic link to the research and evidence base pertaining to specific applications of MI regarding health behaviours and issues. It is updated on a semi-annual basis.
  2. Readiness-to-change Ruler. While not an intrinsic tool to MI, the Readiness Ruler is a useful concept to help assess your clients’ perceived readiness to change. There are several useful resources in the next 3 links:
  3. Motivational Interviewing for Health Behaviour Change A great DVD and workbook resource.
  4. Toward a Theory of Motivational Interviewing by Miller and Rose. For those interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms by which MI affects behaviour change – a look “under-the-hood” of MI, as it were.
  5. Exploring ambivalence by Christina Näsholm. This is a well described and very useful discussion about the concept of ambivalence and how to getclients to distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of status quo (the way it is and always has been) versus the potential for change (the way it might become).
  6. Change ~ Action Planning Worksheet. This is an excellent worksheet for helping clients solidify and make real their plan for action/change.
  7. MI Resources from Canada’s Mental Health and Addiction Network. At this site, there are some useful videos, apps, and aids to implementing MI change behaviours.
  8. The Co-active Think Pal: A download from the Apple Store or GooglePlay (formerly the Android Store). Co-Active ThinkPal is available to download free. The base App comes with a Starter Question Set, a Wheel of Life and an audio guide about Co-Activity. Additional question sets, wheels and audios can be downloaded starting from $1.99 USD. Use Co-Active ThinkPal when you’re stuck in coaching and share it with your clients to create structure, momentum, and connection. The app underscores Co-Active coaching tools.