Module 4: Motivational Interviewing – Overview

This module provides an overview of the core theory, principles, skills and strategies of motivational interviewing (MI). 

MI is a guiding style of communication that helps people achieve change by drawing out their own meaning, importance and capacity for change. These communication skills are transferable to all areas of woman-centred care including when facilitating a woman’s exploration of her situation during perinatal mental health screening. Many women will not seek help for their mental health concerns and as discussed in earlier modules this is particularly so for First Nations women.

The information in this module relates closely to concepts from module 2: Clinical yarning and module 3 - Trauma-informed care as MI also relies on, and can help with:​

• ​Creating connections
• Building trusting relationships ​
• Empowerment, choice and collaboration​
• Creating space for stories​
• Providing person-centred, holistic support

Learning objectives

• Recall the underlying components that define the way of being with people, or ‘spirit’, of MI.​
• Identify the core skills of MI and their use in change discussions.​
• Recognise the fundamental processes of MI and how they are used to guide the flow of conversations.​
• Describe strategies that can be used when the intended change hasn’t gone to plan.

Applicability for health practitioners providing perinatal mental health screening

MI provides:

• A way of asking questions that are judgement free and gathers further information about the patient's strengths, support networks and protective factors during the screening process.
• An approach to assessing readiness for a referral to external services and empowers patients to accept the additional support if it's needed.
• Reassurance for the patient that they will not be judged but instead listened to, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to attend and engage in future appointments.
• The skills that focus on listening carefully with a goal of understanding the individual’s dilemma, while refraining from giving advice​
• The means to ascertain what the woman’s views are about her mental health and what she would like to do about it, if anything.

Cultural considerations

• The spirit of MI lends itself well to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients because it is collaborative and patient-centred.
• To achieve the best outcomes, the midwife must be aware of their own cultural values and bias and understand and appreciate the patient's worldviews and values.

Technical requirements

This module uses audio, so you will need to use a computer or device that can support this.

You’ll need a reliable internet connection. It is recommended to use the latest version of your browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. 

Module navigation

There are 'Next' and 'Back' buttons at the bottom of each page that you can use to work your way through the module content. In addition, you can also use the rainbow-coloured buttons at the top of each page to navigate between sections, and the buttons on the image below them to access different sub-sections.

Troubleshooting tips

If videos are not playing, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser.

Learning activities and assessment

The module has several built-in questions to check your understanding as you progress.

Module content

​The content of this module was developed in collaboration with Dr Stan Steindl (https://www.stansteindl.com), clinical psychologist and member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

Please note that as MI can be used in many different clinical situations, Dr Steindl uses generic terms such as ‘patient’ to describe the non-practitioners participating in a motivational interview.