What Is Motivational Interviewing for Adolescents

According to the UC-Davis, Human Services website, “training in Motivational Interviewing (MI) principles and skills can prepare the interviewer to help the interviewee through the change process. During the change process, a person may share statements of desire where they say they are interested in making a change, wish they could do things differently or want things to be different. They also may also share about their perception of their ability to make the changes they desire, whether moving forward or what they have tried in the recent past. A conversation partner who can help a person come up with their own change language can support the change process by guiding an individualized pace of change that can lead to increased motivation over time.”

The Spirt of MI

The spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI) is made up of four key elements, which can be remembered with the acronym PACE:

Partnership: Working together with the person.

Acceptance: Valuing the person and their absolute worth.

Compassion: Prioritizing the person's needs and welfare.

Evocation: Drawing out the person's values, priorities, and wisdom.