What is it about?
This article examines whether Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be truly integrated with Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach (PCA) to counselling. While the ‘spirit’ of MI has much in common with PCA, it is argued that the theory and practice of MI indicates several fundamental differences with PCA that distinguishes the ways that each perspective may contribute to rehabilitation counselling. These differences are discussed in relation to the unique aspects of their underlying assumptions, how they define clients’ problems, and how they articulate the role of counsellor and successful outcome. Recent meta-analyses have indicated the beneficial aspects of both approaches. Empirical evidence for the efficacy of both MI and PCA is strong across a diverse range of client groups and health care settings. However, the highly variable effectiveness of both MI and PCA suggests that further process-outcome research is needed. Implications for rehabilitation counsellors are discussed.
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Why is it important?
This article clarifies theoretical and practical differences between Motivational Interviewing and Person-Centered Therapy and discusses evidence-based research for both.
Perspectives
William Miller, co-author of Motivational Interviewing, has indicated some differences between his and my interpretation of MI. I am more person-centered in my orientation. Miller advised, for example, that change talk is not something that the counselor does (“In MI, the counsellor’s “change talk” consists of the following elements:”); in MI it is just one aspect of client speech to which we pay differential attention. This is clearly one place where MI differs from PCA more generally. There is solid evidence that client change talk (or more specifically, the ratio of change talk to sustain talk) predicts behavior change, and that this ratio is influenced by the counselor. Like empathy, change talk predicts outcomes in CBT as well as MI.
Dr Ross Crisp
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Can Motivational Interviewing be Truly Integrated with Person-centered Counselling?, Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, June 2015, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/jrc.2015.3.
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