Motivational Interviewing in Social Work Practice (Applications of Motivational Interviewing)

"This highly accessible, practical text provides social workers with a wonderful introduction to the principles of MI. Through detailed case narratives and clinical discussions, Hohman and her colleagues illustrate how MI operationalizes essential social work ideas like client self-determination, strengths orientations, and client empowerment. While acknowledging the limitations of MI, Hohman makes a persuasive argument for its value as a client-centered, evidence-based approach to the helping process that is truly collaborative and culturally responsive. This text is an excellent source book for graduate-level advanced clinical practice courses. Its ideas are applicable to social work practice in a wide range of clinical settings, including substance abuse and health care."--Meredith Hanson, DSW, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University

"This delightful book succeeds in putting MI into the context of social work education and practice. It explores the role of theory in MI, provides examples that are specific to social work, and clarifies how MI fits with social work values and ethics. The book closely examines the principles and skills of MI and provides plenty of practical sample interviews. I will use this book as a text in my master’s-level social work courses. It will be a great resource for students as they begin to practice in a variety of settings."--Mary Marden Velasquez, PhD, Director, Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin; member, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)

"Finally there is a book that summarizes the vast literature on MI that is most relevant to social workers! What separates this from other MI books are the detailed descriptions of social workers' contributions to MI development and research and the discussion of how the model is consistent with social work values. Hohman has produced a remarkable book that is highly readable and chock full of interesting examples drawn from her personal journey learning MI and training others to use it. Social work educators will find this book very useful for a wide variety of practice classes."--Douglas C. Smith, PhD, LCSW, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; member, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)

"Providing an accessible, practical description of why and how to integrate motivational interviewing (MI) into social work practice, this text offers an invaluable discussion of one of the most empirically supported intervention approaches in the field today. With the charge to move toward evidence-based practice in social work, beginning and advanced practitioners alike will appreciate the fact that MI has been tested in nearly 300 clinical outcome studies. Hohman and colleagues offer detailed transcripts and clinical vignettes that break down the MI process into discrete, readily learned chunks. Students in foundation and advanced courses on social work practice, addictions treatment, and health and mental health social work will benefit from learning how MI principles and techniques can be applied to address the real-world challenges of common clinical scenarios."--Eric L. Garland, PhD, LCSW, College of Social Work and Trinity Institute for the Addictions, Florida State University

"I have been waiting for a book like this one. This much-needed volume will be of tremendous value to social workers who have struggled to engage and facilitate change in a broad range of client populations. It is rich with helpfully presented, annotated sample dialogues illustrating the skillful application of MI in social work contexts."--Andrew Hamid, PhD, School of Social Work, Columbia University

“Hohman teaches social work practice, substance abuse treatment, and MI at both undergraduate and graduate level....She clearly has a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and experience to draw upon. Likewise, the 10 contributing authors all have related knowledge and experience….Interspersed throughout the book are dialogue examples that I personally find very useful when contemplating the idea of transferring theory into practice….The reader will be able to learn and reflect upon situations where MI may be appropriately implemented and integrated within practice. It has to be commended for this….A useful addition to the idea of the application of Ml within a broader range of services or settings than one would traditionally think of.”

Social workers routinely encounter clients who are wrestling with ambivalence about changing behavior-even behavior that is clearly harmful to themselves or others. This reader-friendly book introduces practitioners and students to motivational interviewing (MI), an evidence-based communication method that helps clients draw on their strengths to commit to and implement positive changes. Melinda Hohman and her associates demonstrate what MI looks like in action, how it transforms interactions with clients, and how to integrate the approach into social work practice in a wide range of settings.

 

The book reviews the fundamentals of MI and describes core skills, including the use of open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries. MI emphasizes supporting clients' autonomy and eliciting their ideas and values pertaining to important life choices, making it eminently compatible with social work principles. Chapters illustrate ways that MI can enhance assessment, promote engagement and self-efficacy, and supplement other interventions and group work. Innovative applications are discussed in substance abuse treatment, mental health, child welfare, school social work, community organizing, and other areas. Extensive case examples and annotated sample dialogues in nearly every chapter bring the concepts to life, helping readers build their own repertoires of MI skills. The volume also summarizes the research base for MI and presents best practices in training, teaching, and agency-wide integration.

 

The first guide to MI written by and for social workers, this book belongs on the desks of practitioners in any setting or specialty area. Graduate students and instructors will find it an accessible, uniquely useful text.