In medical school we were taught techniques for motivational interviewing to help people change their habits (like smoking). It was very informative because we not only learned a valuable skill we also identified how difficult it can be to motivate people. A motivational interview helps the patient identify his or her “unhealthy” behaviors and to decide from within themselves how to change those behaviors knowing that they have the support of their doctor. We were taught about the stages of readiness for change that include pre-contemplation, contemplation, action, maintenance and relapse. It is one thing to know about the different stages but they real skill comes from the relationship that is established between the patient and the doctor during the interview itself. …show more content…
I told them how important healthy living and eating was at one of their visits and I recommended that they come back one month later to see how they were doing. I was astonished – just one month after their visit they had collectively lost over 20 pounds! I asked the mother what was it that I said that encouraged this dramatic change?! The mother said that I gave them clear ideas of how to make the change by tailoring ideas to their lifestyle. She also appreciated that I told her to come back to “weigh in”. She said she felt like we cared about her and was happy that we told her the truth about the dangers of being overweight. The tools for motivational interviewing are very useful and I believe can be effective in business as well. I realize that this type of motivation is different than what was discussed during this week’s session. To me it highlights that humans are predictable and that they have desires and emotions and knowing this about people can help me learn and better understand the theories of motivation and what makes us