Driven by a passion for helping others, social workers are focused on improving the well-being of their clients — regardless of their specialty area or the scope of their role. They collaborate with their clients and set goals for their progress, which is where motivational interviewing enters the picture. This strategic, client-centered approach helps social workers better understand and encourage clients to identify their own goals for progress.

Understanding Motivational Interviewing

Leveraging the power of behavioral change techniques, social workers can motivate their clients to make positive and lasting changes in their lives that allow them to be more productive and successful on every level. Motivational interviewing in social work is considered one of the most effective behavior change strategies.

What Is Motivational Interviewing (MI)?

Motivational interviewing, or MI, is defined by Psychology Today as an evidence-based, collaborative counseling method used to uncover an individual's intrinsic motivation and identify their personal goals. Rather than social workers telling clients what they believe is best for their circumstances, they can rely on motivational interviewing interventions to understand clients’ needs and desires. This approach is rooted in empathy, requiring social workers to ask open-ended questions and to engage in reflective listening.

Theoretical Foundations

According to Positive Psychology, motivational interviewing is a counseling practice developed in the 1980s. Rooted in client-centered therapy techniques, it is based on the self-determination theory, the stages of change model, and the transtheoretical model.

Building upon this theoretical foundation, My Social Work News identifies the following as the key motivational interviewing principles:

• Expressing empathy during the motivational interviewing process.
• Differentiating between the client's current patterns of behavior and their future goals.
• Redirecting resistance rather than confronting it.
• Empowering clients to identify their own goals — and supporting them so they know they are capable of achieving them. 

Core Techniques of Motivational Interviewing

As a solution-focused approach, motivational interviewing therapy enables individuals to better understand their motivations and engage in goal-setting in therapy. In order to achieve the best possible outcomes, social workers may rely on core motivational interviewing techniques. The following are among the most effective motivational interviewing strategies:

The “OARS” Framework

The "OARS" framework rests at the heart of the motivational interviewing process. Using OARS in social work, social workers can engage in supportive and non-judgmental conversations with their clients to establish goals. OARS skills include:

• Asking open-ended questions.
• Prioritizing affirmations.
• Engaging in reflective listening.
• Summarizing what the client has shared during therapy to confirm that you understood.

Eliciting and Strengthening Change Talk

Throughout the motivational interviewing process, social workers can encourage clients to engage in change talk — defined as client communication that acknowledges the need and desire for change in their own behavior. Social may can elicit change talk through open-ended questions, scaling questions, and questions about extremes.

Change talk examples may include:

• What do you wish were different about your life?
• What do you think you could do to achieve your goals?
• How confident are you in your ability to change?
• What do you see as the key problem with your current behavior?
• In your opinion, what would be the best-case scenario if you decided to make the change?

Navigating Resistance and Ambivalence

Resistance and ambivalence are common barriers in motivational interviewing, and in order to be successful, social workers should employ harm reduction strategies when approaching these challenges. Instead of confronting clients directly, social workers may have a greater impact if they adopt a non-judgmental approach and redirect resistance to prevent clients from feeling defensive.

Applying MI in Social Work Settings

Empowerment in social work is essential to any client's success. For social workers, motivational interviewing can be used in a variety of professional settings, allowing them to support their clients and encourage them to take ownership of their behavioral change.

Substance Use and Recovery Support

Social workers working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and need ongoing support during their recovery may use motivational interviewing techniques to help these clients understand the impact of their behavior and encourage them to set goals. According to American Addiction Centers, motivational interviewing techniques are frequently used in the beginning stages of recovery — when clients may feel the most resistant to change.

Child Welfare and Family Services

A strengths-based approach, motivational interviewing is particularly important within the scope of child welfare and family services. Ambivalence is common among parents and children who are receiving social support, as they often become involved in the process involuntarily. By relying heavily on cross-cultural communication and empathy in counseling, social workers can help these clients become more engaged in the process.

Healthcare and Mental Health Contexts

Healthcare and mental health motivational interviewing techniques can increase patient engagement with a care plan. Through the motivational interviewing process, social workers can empower patients to take control over behaviors related to their health and well-being and allow them to improve their health outcomes over time.

MI Across Cultural and Diverse Populations

Social workers work with a wide range of clients, necessitating them to be able to engage in cross-cultural communication and collaboration. Cultural awareness is crucial in the field of social work; these professionals should actively work to develop culturally-responsive motivational interviewing skills.

Culturally Responsive Practice

By nature, motivational interviewing is a culturally responsive practice, as this approach focuses primarily on encouraging a client to identify their personal goals and motivations for change. This has proven particularly effective among marginalized populations that have long been underrepresented and may not have a deep level of trust in care providers and social workers.

Equity and Empowerment in MI

With an emphasis on equity and empowerment, motivational interviewing encourages people to take control of their lives and discover reasons for change. Social workers should take a non-judgmental approach when engaging in motivational interviewing techniques to develop a sense of trust between themselves and their clients.

Training and Skill Development for Social Workers

Whether you are focused on social justice in counseling or primarily deal with clients working to overcome problematic behaviors in their personal lives, you will want to develop motivational interviewing skills. Ongoing motivational interviewing training is critical for social workers throughout their careers.

You can improve your motivational interviewing principles and strategies by:

Building Competence in Motivational Interviewing

Becoming familiar with and confident using motivational interviewing techniques is an integral first step to incorporating this evidence-based approach into your social work practice. Begin building your motivational interviewing skills by:

• Familiarizing yourself with the basics of motivational interviewing (including asking open-ended questions and practicing reflective listening skills).
• Participating in role-play experiences — trying out motivational interviewing techniques in real time.
• Assessing your motivational interviewing skills and soliciting feedback from colleagues and clients.

Integrating MI Into Agency and Team Practice

Employers also play a central role in providing social workers with motivational interviewing training. Social work agencies and organizations should encourage their teams to participate in workshops and team practice training sessions to become familiar with the best ways to implement motivational interviewing strategies.

Measuring Outcomes and Evaluating Effectiveness

Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based approach that requires social workers to evaluate the effectiveness of their techniques and measure the outcomes their clients achieve. Knowing how to gauge effectiveness is an essential component of motivational interviewing in social work.

Evidence Supporting MI in Social Work

A wealth of evidence supports motivational interviewing in social work. According to Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Use Disorder Treatment, the number of research studies focusing on motivational interviewing has increased significantly since 1999, with most scientific evidence suggesting that motivational interviewing can lead to positive outcomes in relation to client behavior change.

Tools and Metrics

Social workers turn to advanced tools and metrics to measure progress and track results of motivational interviewing. According to research published in the European Journal of General Practice, the key tools used to measure motivational interviewing include motivational interviewing skills code, motivational interviewing treatment integrity, and behavior change counseling index.

Develop Advanced Motivational Interviewing Skills at Indiana Wesleyan University

Motivational interviewing techniques enable social workers to create client-centered plans with targeted goals and are widely used in all aspects of social work. The Bachelor of Social Work as well as the hybrid Master of Social Work and Master of Social Work Advanced degree programs offered through the IWU Division of Behavioral Sciences allow social work students to engage in motivational interviewing training and explore leading social work interventions. Graduates emerge equipped to pursue a variety of professional roles in the field of social work — knowing they can provide their clients with personalized, evidence-based support.

Find your program and request more information about our Christ-centered campus today.