Motivational Interviewing Activities

Motivational interviewing is a practice in which a practitioner discusses potential options with a patient, thus allowing the patient to weigh the benefits and weaknesses of each one. Through the use of this technique, mental health workers or counselors can guide their patients towards making strong, advantageous choices without pushing them in any one direction. The purpose of this practice is not for the practitioner to make the decision for the patient, but instead for the patient to be forced to make the decision for himself after being lead through a consideration of the ramifications of his choice.

Job Interview

• Many individuals struggle with deciding exactly what occupation they may want to pursue. By engaging the individual in a mock interview, you can assist him in determining what he would be most happy doing and make the process of picking an occupation easier.

  Act as a hypothetical potential employee and elicit information about the credentials you patient would most like to possess in this motivational interviewing activity. To begin this activity, ask the individual what job he would like to interview for if he could select any job. After selecting a job, explain to the individual that you are going to act as the hiring committee and ask him questions about his credentials. Instead of saying what credentials he actually has, he should respond with ones that he would like to possess. Begin the simulation, asking the individual to provide information about himself and his suitability for the job. While he responds, jot down things that he says.

  After the mock-interview, discuss the information that you wrote down. Talk to the patient about what he needs to do to acquire the job that he desires. Work with the individual to create a workable plan to gain these certifications.

Wants Rankings

• It is generally simple to list things you want, but prioritizing these wants can present more of a challenge. Help your patient prioritize and realize what is most important to him by creating a wants ranking. To begin this activity, give the individual a stack of index cards. Ask him to write down anything that he wants. After the individual has filled his cards, move through the stack, discussing each thing that he wrote down with him. Ask him to place these cards in hierarchical order, placing the things that he would most like at the top of the pile, and things that he desires less as the bottom. As he ranks his wants, discuss each object and ask the individual to reflect upon what he needs to do to attain these sought after objects.

The Restaurant

• Allow your patient to consider her accomplishments and goals by engaging her in a restaurant simulation. Through the use of this motivational interviewing technique you can effectively build patient self esteem and allow her to see what positive qualities she possess. Explain to the individual that, in this simulation, you are going to pretend that you are two people who do not know each other, but who have met while waiting for a table to become available at a crowded restaurant. Tell the patient that you will ask her questions, just as someone she is just meeting might inquire about her life to make conversation. Engage the patient in the simulation, asking her questions about her occupation, her travel plans and her family life in a casual, non-confrontational manner.

  At the conclusion of the simulation, discuss the individual's responses with her. Ask her to determine which things she thinks she might want to change. For example, if he said that she had never traveled out of the United States, she may want to change this by hitting the road on an exciting adventure.