My Journey with Motivational Interviewing

MI is one of my favourite approaches to help people get unstuck. It’s a person-centred, empowering and collaborative approach, which supports people to explore mixed feelings, find clarity, and explore whether and how they might change.

I first fell in love with MI during a rather ‘stuck’ and complex piece of EP casework: it felt like a refreshing and very human way of helping. I then got totally sold on the approach, through receiving MI coaching, which has helped me figure out my own career goals and overcome blocks to making it happen. I now love using MI across all areas of my EP practice, and especially in career inspiration coaching for EPs. I love seeing how powerfully MI can build motivation towards action, even when there’s mixed feelings about change. It feels like magic when you see people get lift-off and momentum with their own ideas for change and growth.

Interestingly, there’s no current accreditation or qualification you can get specifically as an MI practitioner, though I am a BPS Chartered Coaching Psychologist. The next best thing – and actually one of my most treasured CPD experiences of all time – is that you can train to become a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). The Training for New Trainers (TNT) is usually 3 days long and takes place in various locations around the world each year: I did mine in Copenhagen, 2023. The TNT focuses on MI training skills and supporting others to learn MI, for which there is a huge and ever-growing evidence-base. (We wrote about that HERE).

The international MINT community welcomes people from a huge range of helping professions and, honestly, 'MINTies' are the best. I’ve never felt so seen, affirmed and genuinely encouraged as during the coffee breaks at MINT events! If anyone is thinking about doing the TNT and becoming a member of MINT, I’m always happy to chat – drop me a line… or you might be interested in specialist MI supervision. If you’re not yet ready, but keen on MI, anyone can join the MINT UK & Ireland chapter, who host some excellent (and more local!) events too.

And now I love doing MI training, specialist supervision, MI career coaching and running the AME Coaching project. Click the links to find out more...

Check out my Motivational Interviewing Offerings:

I love doing and being MI, as well as sharing MI with others, as follows:

MI Training - supporting you to learn MI, so you can use it to help others change and grow
Specialist MI Supervision - supporting you to use and apply MI effectively in your practice
MI for Career Coaching – if you’re at a career crossroads or feeling stuck, lost or overwhelmed about your career goals, we can use MI together during coaching sessions
AME Coaching - I am the proud creator of ‘AME Coaching’ (Autonomy, Motivation and Engagement) - a 1:1 intervention to support young people with school motivation and educational engagement, using Motivational Interviewing.