Discussion: Applying Motivational Interviewing to Organizations and Social Change

Motivational interviewing is a versatile tool that can be used in many different helping professions and organizational contexts where change is desired. Before integrating motivational interviewing in an organization, it is useful to consider what conditions must be in place to be successful. For instance, practitioners working for the organization must willing to set aside their role as an expert in order to use motivational interviewing effectively. Furthermore, the service users with whom they regularly work must be grappling with some sort of change.

You will examine how to integrate motivational interviewing in a human services organization with which you are familiar. You also will consider how you would use the skills you learned in this course to promote positive personal and social change with your service users and within your community.

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources on integrating motivational interviewing into human services organizations. Think about the conditions, considerations, and strategies for integrating motivational interviewing into different types of human services organizations.
• Pay particular attention to the definition of social change. In addition, consider how motivational interviewing has been used to effect positive social change (e.g., improve services for needy families and survivors of intimate partner violence).
• Reflect on your current human services organization or one that you would like to work for in the future. Think about how you could integrate motivational interviewing into the organization.
• Consider how you could use motivational interviewing to promote positive personal and social change with service users and within your community as a whole.

Now that you have practiced the OARS skills in motivational interviewing, explain how you could integrate motivational interviewing into your current human services organization. If you do not currently work in a human services organization, explain how you could integrate motivational interviewing into an organization where you would like to work. Then, explain how you will apply the skills learned in this course to promote positive personal and social change with your service users and within your community. Be specific and use examples to illustrate your explanation.