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Motivational Interviewing


​​​The following video provides an overview of motivational interviewing. It is excerpted from the BMi2 series produced by the PROS (Pediatric Research in Office Settings)/University of Michigan BMi2 (Obesity Prevention) Study.

We recommend reviewing the video to learn or refresh on the main tenets of motivational interviewing, to aid in your work address mental health issues with parents. In addition, here are some common questions about motivational interviewing:​


Q: Why is motivational interviewing useful?

A: In the process of learning motivational interviewing, practitioners learn, or very often re-learn, helpful conversational active listening skills, such as reflections and affirmations, that can be helpful in any conversation with patients and families. Motivational interviewing consists of 4 professional values (Partnership, Acceptance, Evocation, and Compassion) that are potentially applicable across clinical contexts. Motivational interviewing, which is ultimately about helping people enhance their own motivation for change, is applicable when working with patients that are faced with any behavioral health decision/change.

Q: My schedule is quite busy; doesn't motivational interviewing take too much time?

A: The motivational interviewing approach actually doesn't take much more extra time than a traditional approach, and the benefits of early detection and patient satisfaction that motivational interviewing bring far outweigh any initial extra time spent. Many clinicians have even found that using motivational interviewing saves time as patients and their families often feel more open to discuss sensitive subjects.