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Building Motivational Interviewing Skills is a remarkable achievement: author and founding MINT member David Rosengren has translated the interactive process of clinical training into an independent study format.

Each chapter includes an opening clinical vignette that provides context. Then, the author provides a brief and readable introduction to the concepts underlying the skill or strategy under discussion, followed by a quiz and annotated transcripts illustrating the skill in practice. The explanatory and illustrative material is followed by a set of practice opportunities, most of which can be done individually and some of which involve a training partner. Concepts, skills, and strategies are presented in roughly the same order as in a trainer-led workshop.

Novice to advanced MI practitioners in almost any clinical setting can benefit from the diverse selection of practice exercises. This excellent workbook can serve as an individual introduction to MI, a resource for translating workshop training into practice, or a guide for an MI learning group.

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This is a remarkably useful edited text. Published in 2007, it describes novel MI applications in the treatment of anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicidal behavior, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, gambling addictions, schizophrenia, and dual diagnoses. Also addressed are MI approaches in the criminal justice system. Each chapter provides a concise overview of the disorder or population under discussion; describes how MI has been integrated with standard treatment approaches; illustrates the nuts and bolts of intervention, using vivid clinical examples; and reviews the empirical evidence base. The relevance and practicality of the case examples and discussion make it obvious that the authors of each chapter have actual clinical experience with the population about which they are writing.

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The authors present a streamlined model of MI application for health care providers who are not counselors by training. What I love about this one is that it anticipates and responds to just about every question or concern I have heard when working with folks in medical settings. You can tell the authors have done their homework. This 2007 text provides a more flexible, general model for health behavior consultation than the earlier “Health Behavior Change” book.

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In this easy-to-read yet sophisticated guide, the authors reframe resistance as ambivalence and provide a practical, integrative approach to managing it in psychotherapy.

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This workbook includes extensive exercises in the OARS (Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summaries) – albeit in the context of a non-MI counseling model. The workbook is geared toward students or beginning clinicians with no prior training in basic counseling skills and designed for classroom use. I haven’t seen the current edition yet, but I found the third edition to be an invaluable and reassuring resource back in my graduate school days.

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Helping Skills is a textbook for learning broadly applicable counseling skills, presented in the context of a three-stage model comprising facilitation of exploration, insight, and action. This book, with discussion questions, written practice exercises, prompts for self-evaluation, and experiential “labs,” is ideally suited for a classroom setting. However, it could also serve to guide trainer- or self-directed group learning in other settings as well. It is clearly intended for those new to counseling and assumes no prior knowledge of the theories underlying the model. My review will focus on its usefulness as a guide to learning skills relevant to Motivational Interviewing.
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I haven’t read this one yet. From the publisher: provided is a wealth of practical advice on interacting with students in a range of contexts, from brief conversations in medical settings to motivational counseling sessions and group interventions… Over a dozen appendices feature reproducible assessment instruments and other indispensable tools, in a large-size format for ease of photocopying and use.

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According to the foreword by Barbara McCrady, Substance Abuse Treatment and the Stages of Change is not a “how to do” manual but rather a “how to think” manual. It is also extremely practical – after all, once you know how to think about something, you know what to do about it. Furthermore, this isn’t a dry or abstract textbook; it includes clear direction as to how to apply the model and many illustrative case examples. I recommend Substance Abuse Treatment and the Stages of Change to clinicians or students seeking both a rigorous evaluation of the stage model and detailed guidance as to how to apply it in practice.
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Hazelden — Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change without CE Hours Test.
Hazelden — Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change with CE test.
Motivational Interviewing and the Stages of Change is a workbook for applying MI and SOC principles in practice. It contains a guide to matching MI strategies to client stage of change, step-by-step instructions for applying these strategies in practice, and materials to aid in supervision of the MI/SOC approach.
If you have completed a workshop in Motivational Interviewing and/or the Stages of Change, and are wondering how to begin to apply your new skills, this book can help you bridge the gap between the workshop and the clinic.
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Over the Influence is an ideal resource for those concerned about their alcohol and/or drug use, but not sure if they are ready to quit. This book offers a step-by-step guide to understanding your relationship with drugs and alcohol and deciding what, if anything, to change. The authors use a matter-of-fact, empathic tone and emphasize the importance of knowing yourself and knowing your drugs so that you can make the best possible choices. This isn’t an easy way out – “just say know” substance use management is at least as demanding as “just say no” abstinence. The authors acknowledge that people use drugs for a reason, and don’t ask you to deny the benefits of use while recognizing the harm that it may be causing. Included are basic facts about the most popular drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine) and hints for using them in the least harmful way, if you choose to continue use. There are also chapters on taking care of yourself while still using, finding the right help, determining if harm reduction is working, and talking about harm reduction with family and friends. The overall message is that any positive change is better than nothing, and that you deserve to take care of yourself as well as you can even if you continue to use substances.

Deborah H. A. Van Horn, Ph. D. – originally posted July 23, 2004

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