Like all other clinical skills, Motivational interviewing requires both training and practice. Training with a well educated MI instructor provides you with a solid foundation in motivational interviewing skills as well as time to work on motivational interviewing skills in a controlled environment with instructor feedback. During my journey into motivational interviewing, completing trainings helped me build a strong motivational interviewing skill base that I continue to draw on in the clinical setting. Also, like many other skills learned, MI skills require practice. Simply learning MI concepts and skills without practicing them will not benefit you or your patients. Many MI skills can appear simple on the surface but can be quite difficult to execute properly without taking time to develop and practice them.
If you are interested in MI training and resources, an excellent place to start is the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). MINT is an international organization of MI trainers committed to promoting and improving counseling with clients about behavior change. Trainers that are MINT members have completed MINT training and have demonstrated their effectiveness at MI. The MINT website maintains a list of MI trainings being held worldwide.
The MINT website also contains valuable resources for providers interested in MI. These resources include: current and past research, videos/examples of MI, MI news, as well as many other resources.
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Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation 