Often, it seems to us, the ultimate goal of being a health professional is the same as that of being a parent; that is, to nurture and care for our patients/children so well that we become more or less redundant. On New Year’s Day, 2016, we would underscore the words of Rainer Maria Rilke, “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” Working with our patients in behaviour change, motivational interviewing mode is not about solving a problem for/with them; rather, it is really about moving with them to see what aspect/s of their lives might be lived more fully. To paraphrase from the educational organization called The Mankind Project, when your client is looking for that one person who can change their life, that person might best be invited to take a look in the mirror. And this doesn’t necessarily mean literally and it certainly isn’t easy for any of us to look into one’s Self openly and fully. In doing motivational interviewing, sometimes it’s useful to envision what might be underneath a client’s surface desire to work with us. Would it serve us as professionals to imagine each client’s need as an essential one, to see her- or himself? We are in service to and with our clients and serving them using MI is so dependent on using open-ended questions, reflective listening, and continuously acknowledging them so that their ‘mirror’ becomes crystal clear. What wonders can be wrought with our clients that is greater than their realization that they have the power of choice for themselves!
Events
- Monarch Level 2 Advanced Workshop on Motivational Interviewing & Coaching Tools for Healthcare Professionals ~ WECHC ~ Dec 2 & 9 2024 {viaZoom} on December 2, 2024 9:00 am
- Monarch Level 3 Progressive Workshop on Motivational Interviewing & Coaching Tools for Healthcare Professionals ~ WECHC ~ Jan 27 & Feb 3, 2025 {via Zoom} on January 27, 2025 9:00 am
- Monarch Level 1 Workshop on MI & Coaching Tools for Waterloo Wellington Self-Management Program Professionals ~ March 6 & 13 2025 {viaZoom} on March 6, 2025 9:00 am