Bridge the Gap Between Goal and Attainment

Mrs. Adams: Yes I am. Let’s go.

Through the selective use of open-ended questions, reflections, and summarization, Amy is able to establish a quick rapport with Mrs. Adams. Amy guides Mrs. Adams to create meaningful goals by honoring Mrs. Adams’ right to make her own healthcare choices and conveying empathy to her situation. From this conversation, Amy feels Mrs. Adams has resolved her ambivalence about being in therapy and is motivated to come in. She can document Mrs. Adams’ goals while also meeting the standards for reimbursement.

Our Experience

Clients have responded readily to the process of motivational interviewing. Initially, we feared that asking open-ended questions and using reflections would slow the evaluation process. Instead, we found that this approach quickly directs the conversation to what is meaningful and motivating to the client. With this information, we are able to frame our clinical feedback and recommendations in a way that makes sense to the client. Furthermore, less time is spent negotiating goals, because clients generally do not feel the need to fight to be understood. We have seen how motivational interviewing has helped move people to a point of clarity in terms of their healthcare, often creating new insights about what it is they want to accomplish and their ability to do so.

Motivational interviewing is a complex, challenging, and dynamic process that requires insight and discipline in order to be used effectively. When successful, motivational interviewing elicits a positive response that is rewarding for both the client and the clinician while increasing motivation to continue to strive towards goals and cementing a therapeutic relationship in the process.

Interested readers are encouraged to review the reference Motivational Interviewing in Health Care: Helping Patients Change Behavior¹¹ or the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers website at www.motivationalinterview.org.

Connelly is a clinical research coordinator at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Dr. Ehrlich-Jones is a clinical research scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and president of the ARHP.

References

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