Motivational Interview In Health Contexts: Highlights

Knowing about the meaning of the motivational interview (ME) in health contexts, as well as its uses and potential benefits  is important for the promotion of healthy habits and the eradication of those practices that can be harmful to health.

In this sense, and as evidenced by this article published in RET: drug addiction magazine , the motivational interview is used to provoke a change in behavior and facilitate interpersonal relationships to resolve ambivalences.

The motivational interview in health contexts: what does it consist of?

Motivational interview (ME) in health contexts is a strategy or tool that can be used to encourage and promote changes in certain behaviors that can be harmful.

Taking into account that in adolescence and youth many of the health disorders are related to behaviors, it acquires special relevance during this stage.

In this sense, and contrary to what we might suppose, some research, such as this one published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 2017 ,  shows that it is more effective in people not very inclined or motivated for change than in those who have already decided to do so.

Thus, much has been written about health promotion strategies to achieve behavioral modifications. In fact, it should be noted that  even the use of incentives has been among these proposals.

Is it a strategy or a communication style?

Motivational interviewing (ME) in health contexts is often  recommended as an evidence-based approach to behavior change. According to a report published in the Medical Gazette ,  “The professionals who opted for the motivational interview (ME) achieved a greater benefit in the health of their patients than those who continued with the usual advice.” However, definitions vary widely, including outdated and inaccurate interpretations.

What, then, is a motivational interview?

According to research conducted by Miller and Rollnick in their book Motivational Interview. Helping People Change :

Thus, the qualities of MS, according to those same authors include:

• A guiding communication style in which the importance of listening well, providing information and recommendations is considered.
• It is designed to empower people to change behaviors and become more resilient. In addition, it is based on a respectful way that facilitates the natural processes of change and the development of autonomy.

• It echoes the existence of certain ambivalences regarding the possibility of making a change that, although it may be favorable in the medium term, its achievement is not always seen as achievable.

Some considerations about the motivational interview technique

It is important that the professional who implements it develops open questions that can also be found, by way of example, throughout a job interview. This, in turn, should allow you to explore people’s experiences, perspectives, and ideas.

In parallel, the reflections are based on listening carefully and trying to understand what the person is saying. This is accomplished by repeating, rephrasing, or offering a deeper insight into what the person is trying to communicate. The latter is a fundamental skill of motivational interviewing, and especially of how we express empathy, which is a relevant ingredient.

Regarding MS in health contexts …

It is essential to know the meaning, the scope, as well as the logic and method of the motivational interview (ME). Whether or not this is the only or the best alternative is something that every professional who interacts with adolescents and young people will have to identify.

Thus, it is, at the same time, relevant that those who adopt it or wish to implement it base their actions on the best available evidence on the subject, such as the one we have just exposed in the previous lines.