Achieving behavioural changes with motivational interviewing

Motivational interviewing is growing in popularity among social workers but how and when should this technique be used? Wendy Weal, managing director at Interface Enterprises, will answer some of these questions during her session on day one at Community Care Live Birmingham 2016.

What will your session cover?

We will consider how and where motivational interviewing applies in the social care setting and why it is so important to understand people’s motivations to bring about change. We will cover what I see as the most underused motivational interviewing skills in social care and we will get a chance for some practice.

Why is this topic so important?

Only when we truly and genuinely understand someone can we begin to influence them.

In social care we need to build resilience and help children, individuals and families so they can support themselves. We need to bring about change but it needs to be sustainable change. When working with children and families we might see what we would traditionally think of as of resistance. We must therefore seek to understand them, work alongside them to show the discrepancy between where they are now and where they want to be and support them to change their behaviours or attitudes. We cannot fire-fight forever and only when an individual is truly motivated to change will they do so genuinely and over the long-term.

What is your favourite thing about working in social care?

Everything. I meet greatly committed staff eager to bring about positive change. I love the work that I do and the people I do it with.

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