In the absence of motivation, health-related advice is often ignored and behavior change is blocked by ambivalence (Miller & Rollnick, 2013).
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a proven counseling method that improves motivation for change in adolescents and adults, and is based on the premise that clients change when/if they think they can.
You are reading: Best motivational interviewing books
Research shows that mi is effective in improving positive health-related behavior, including reducing risky sexual behaviors and drug and alcohol use, and improving diabetes control and medication adherence and treatment (hall, gibbie, & lubman, 2012).
The books in this article are valuable to people seeking to live differently and to professionals helping clients who are unwilling or unable to change.
Before you continue, you may want to download our three goal-achieving exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques to create lasting behavior change.
motivational interviewing books to help clients
motivational interviewing recognizes that ambivalence is a normal aspect of human behavior and a necessary part of the change process. can provide a useful method for resolving such ambivalence through eliciting and reinforcing conversations about change (Miller & Rollnick, 2013).
Research has confirmed the importance of client autonomy and their relationship with my practitioner in arriving at a plan for change.
The following books provide valuable information on my research, theories, and practices and guide the reader through how to increase their own or their clients’ motivation for change. we’ve grouped the reading into three sections: general focus of me, specific applications of me, and workbooks.
general approach to motivational interviewing
To introduce you to material related to me, we first start with a more general approach and list the books that fall into this group.
1. motivational interviewing: helping people change – william miller and stephen rollnick
This is one of the best-selling and authoritative books on the subject of my. The text uses a clear, practical style to guide both students and practitioners through the four key processes of my: Participation, Focus, Evocation, and Planning.
Using numerous examples, this highly accessible book explains how to implement the approach in a broad context, providing additional supporting resources from a companion web page.
Additional features include boxes providing special topics and personal insights, a quick-reference glossary, and online questions and case studies.
At the end of each section is a helpful list of key points that summarize what has been covered.
look for the book on amazon.
2. Motivational Interviewing and CBT: Combining Strategies for Maximum Effectiveness – Sylvie Naar and Steven Safren
Sylvie Naar and Steven Safren’s book shows how therapists can combine my with the incredible power of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to deliver better results for their clients.
The authors explain how MI strategies can be used, either as a pretreatment intervention or during CBT, to increase client motivation and strengthen the therapeutic relationship.
Thirty-five reproducible booklets, along with sample dialogues and learning exercises, are available on the book’s companion website.
look for the book on amazon.
3. Motivational Interviewing Basics: Tips and Strategies for Addressing Common Clinical Challenges – Julie Schumacher and Michael Madson
This book is an essential guide for anyone who wants to understand how to use mi in multiple disciplines and professions.
The techniques and skills presented can guide clients from many backgrounds (including those with criminal pasts, anxiety and mood issues, and health issues) to make positive life changes.
The text is highly accessible, well-organized, and geared toward busy people, whether they’re providers new to me or more experienced. clear examples are given throughout, and the book is equally valuable to the student, teacher, or user of mi.
look for the book on amazon.
specific applications of motivational interviewing
my use in very specific applications, is the second group of books we review.
1. motivational interviewing in health care: helping patients change behavior – stephen rollnick, william miller, and christopher butler
The authors wrote this book for healthcare professionals interested in understanding how behavior change can help patients manage underlying conditions.
Although concise, the text contains several powerful tools to improve communication with clients and encourage them to make more positive health decisions, including exercise, weight loss, and medical compliance.
The dialogues and vignettes contained in animate the basic skills of mi and how we can use them in healthcare settings.
The book has been very well received and is a core text for various educational institutes and a must have for professionals in healthcare settings.
look for the book on amazon.
2. motivational interviewing in nutrition and fitness (applications of motivational interviewing) – dawn clifford and laura curtis
Healthcare professionals have the potential to help patients and clients implement lasting changes in their nutrition and fitness, even when transformation is not easy and meets resistance.
This book introduces me as a proven counseling approach to working through ambivalence, helping clients break free of the quick-fix approach to well-being and well-being.
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Worksheets and forms for working with clients are downloadable and printable, and detailed dialogs guide discussions about exercise, body image, and meal planning.
This book is of particular importance within the discipline of diet and physical activity, where resistance to change often prevails.
look for the book on amazon.
3. motivational interview for school counselors – reagan north
reagan north is a school counselor who has learned to use mi within the educational environment.
north provides a practical approach, explaining how my ideas and techniques can help make positive changes in students’ lives, motivating them to build relationships, improve grades, kick unhelpful habits, and ultimately live more meaningful lives. .
The book helps counselors tap into the needs and wants of students and use my to change habits and work toward goals.
look for the book on amazon.
4. motivational interviewing in social work practice – melinda hohman
Most social workers are familiar with their clients’ ambivalence about changing existing behavior and its potential to harm themselves and others. mi can help clients build on their strengths and commit to positive change.
melinda hohman’s book introduces me to the basics and how to implement her basic skills and techniques in a practical and useful way.
Using open-ended questions, statements, reflections, and summaries can help support clients’ autonomy and identify their values in accordance with social work principles.
Case examples bring the text to life and best practices provide valuable guidance for social workers in multiple settings.
look for the book on amazon.
5. motivational interviewing for leaders in the helping professions: facilitating change in organizations – colleen marshall and anette nielsen
This book also explores the use of mi in the health and social service environment, but this time it is aimed at leaders.
Colleen Marshall and Anette Nielsen introduce the reader to powerful techniques for supporting employees through mentoring, performance issues, and redesign processes.
The authors say their goal is to help organizations “get unstuck” through skillful use of basic motivational interviewing principles.
The user-friendly text is well supported, with plenty of worksheets, brainstorming exercises, and extended case studies available on a companion website.
look for the book on amazon.
6. motivational interviewing in schools: conversations to improve behavior and learning – stephen rollnick, sebastian kaplan, and richard rutschman
Written by one of the creators of mi plus two school teachers, this book is valuable reading for teachers who wish to use mi as a counseling approach with their students. covers how to make use of everyday interactions with students to inspire change.
The text includes all the essential skills and strategies required for me, along with sample dialogues with students and their parents that promote personal growth and problem solving.
companion website provides additional downloadable resources for use by teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and social workers.
look for the book on amazon.
7. motivational interview with adolescents and young adults – sylvie naar-king and mariann suarez
sylvie naar-king and mariann suarez explore the incredible value of mi for helpful and productive conversations with young adults and teens.
The book focuses on helping professionals establish a relationship with young people to increase motivation, overcome ambivalence and make positive and healthy changes.
While particular attention is paid to eating disorders, substance abuse, obesity, and chronic disease management, behavioral problems are also included.
look for the book on amazon.
8. motivational interviewing for clinical practice: petros levounis, bachaar arnaout and carla marienfeld
This excellent guide from me in clinical practice takes the reader through all the motivational interviewing steps, skills, and strategies needed to adopt and even teach the approach.
The book is valuable to both beginning clinicians and seasoned practitioners (including nurse practitioners, family physicians, counselors, and social workers) and includes insightful and engaging case examples to clarify its application.
Each chapter ends with a set of study questions and answers to challenge understanding and drive home the points made. This valuable text is perfect for anyone who requires a better understanding of the value of motivational work in treating their patients.
look for the book on amazon.
9. motivational interviewing in the treatment of anxiety – henny westra
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This book introducing my principles focuses on helping people with anxiety overcome ambivalence and increase their intrinsic motivation to change.
henny westra explains how to use mi as a pre-treatment or combined with CBT (or other anxiety-focused treatments) to overcome motivational obstacles.
The book includes detailed coverage of various case studies to understand the best use of mi to help patients experiencing anxiety or depression.
Both practical and compassionate, this guide explains to new and experienced clinicians how to apply mi to access clients’ full potential and wisdom.
look for the book on amazon.
my workbooks
My workbooks are practical approaches to learning and applying this concept. select any of the following for a helpful guide.
1. the motivational interviewing workbook: exercises for deciding what you want and how to get there – angela wood
the angela wood workbook is a practical guide to support the use of mi, helping clients to identify, understand and make changes in their lives.
This easy-to-understand book is ideal as homework for clients between sessions or for interested individuals working alone.
will clarify readers’ commitment to change, increase their motivation and empower them for the future.
key points covered include:
- learn what is me and how it can help personal change
- identify what you want to do while recognizing obstacles
- explore why you want to make the change
- how to develop a detailed and practical plan to get where you want to be
look for the book on amazon.
2. developing motivational interviewing skills: a workbook for practitioners – david rosengren
This book is an essential text for health and mental health professionals who require a clear and practical approach from me.
This second edition has been updated to include the most recent advances in theory and practice and is a popular book among practitioners.
By providing clear explanations of key mi concepts, it helps the reader develop a deep understanding of the four mi processes: engagement, focus, evocation, and planning.
david rosengren explores the importance of open-ended questions, statements, reflective listening, and summaries, including sample dialogues and motivational interviewing practice exercises.
The 80 reproducible worksheets offer a valuable resource for professionals, clients, and anyone who wants to engage in motivation-enhancing conversations using my.
look for the book on amazon.
3. how to do a motivational interview: a guide – bill matulich
bill matulich is an experienced psychologist, psychotherapist and my instructor.
In this concise book, he explores how to use client arguments to encourage behavior change while taking the reader through the core elements of me.
This concise step-by-step guide will help those new to me develop the skills needed to work with clients and is the perfect introduction for anyone in the helping profession.
look for the book on amazon.
resources from positivepsychology.com
We have many tools that can help increase the motivation needed for change along with worksheets that are valuable for identifying and working towards goals:
- building new habits creating and implementing new habits is often easier when we understand how they work.
- social problem solving & goal planning it is essential that we recognize and understand our problem-solving goals and identify and confirm the existence of any barriers.
- scamp – goal settingthe acronym scamp is useful when capturing and defining goals.
- 17 motivation & Goal Achievement Exercises If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others achieve their goals, this collection contains 17 validated motivational exercises and exercises. goal achievement tools for professionals. use them to help others turn their dreams into reality by applying the latest science-based behavior change techniques.
pack of 3 exercises to achieve objectives
Our free set of goal achievement exercises features three of our best tools from the Positive Psychology Toolkit©, all of which focus on the topics of motivation and goal achievement:
- advanced goal analysis this exercise teaches clients the different ways goals can be structured and invites them to examine their own goal formulations. By conducting this detailed analysis, clients can consider how they might reframe less effective goals to support their successful achievement.
- Goal Visualization This visualization invites clients to identify a personal goal they would like to achieve and Imagine the emotions and actions involved to achieve it over the course of a year. By doing this, clients can increase their expectations for success, improve motivation, and initiate planning and problem-solving actions in the present.
- achieving lasting change by setting process goals this intervention teaches different approaches habit-training that supports lasting change and goal achievement. In it, clients identify a goal they would like to achieve and develop a habit-building plan to guide sustainable efforts toward this goal.
All three exercises are instantly available for free when you download our Goal Achievement Workout Pack.
a message to take home
Behavior change is a crucial aspect of human health. in fact, many of our health problems are preventable or can be improved by ourselves or others (rollnick, miller & butler, 2007).
Motivational interviewing doesn’t trick people into doing what they don’t want to do; rather, it is a valuable clinical style for “eliciting from patients their own good motivations to make behavioral changes in the interest of their own health” (rollnick et al., 2007).
Although seemingly essential, health professionals are often not taught how to get their patients to follow treatment plans or help them change their health behaviors (Levounis, Arnaout, & Marienfeld, 2017).
my is an essential clinical practice that engages clients in their treatment, requiring knowledge of skills including the use of open questions, reflections rather than closed questions, and summaries to lead them toward change.
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All of the books included in this article share valuable research, theory, and practice that encourage clients to make their own decisions regarding making positive changes in line with their deeply held values.
Let us know in the comments below if you’ve found any other reading material equally applicable to motivational interviewing that you’d like to recommend.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. don’t forget to download our three goal achievement exercises for free.
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