Motivational Interviewing: A Compassionate Therapy Approach to Change as We Enter the New Year

As the New Year approaches, many people feel a pull toward reflection. What do I want the next season of my life to look like? Where am I feeling stuck? Am I ready to make a change, or am I not there yet? 

Therapists may see this shift occur in their clients around January. There might be an increase in hope, pressure, ambivalence, and self-evaluation. This is a meaningful time for conversations about values, readiness, and motivation. This is where Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be especially powerful! 

What Is Motivational Interviewing? 

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, client-centered approach that helps people explore their motivations for change rather than being told what to do. MI views clients as experts on their own lives and emphasizes autonomy, respect, and partnership. 

According to the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), MI is built on a relational spirit that includes the following: 

• Partnership: Working with the client. 
• Acceptance: Respecting autonomy, affirming strengths, and communicating empathy.
• Compassion: Prioritizing the client’s well-being. 
• Evocation: Drawing out the client’s reasons for change instead of imposing external ones. 

Rather than pushing someone toward action, MI supports clients in resolving ambivalence, which are those mixed feelings that can keep people stuck. 

What Are the OARS Skills and Four Processes? 

Motivational Interviewing is known for its core communication skills: 

• Open-ended questions: Invite clients to reflect deeply. 
• Affirmations: Recognize strengths and past successes. 
• Reflective listening: Demonstrate understanding and help clients hear their own thoughts. 
• Summaries: Pull themes together and reinforce the client’s direction.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) follows these natural processes: 

1. Engaging: Building a trusting, collaborative connection. 
2. Focusing: Clarifying what the client wants to explore or change.
3. Evoking: Drawing out motivations, hopes, concerns, and change talk. 
4. Planning: Only when the client feels ready, exploring concrete next steps. 

These components can help create an atmosphere that supports curiosity, autonomy, and internal motivation. 

(Source: Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, Understanding MI)

What Is MI Used For? 

Although it was originally developed for addiction treatment, MI is now widely used in mental health and medical settings. It can support: 

• Behavior change related to substance use 
• Improving physical activity, diet, or chronic illness management 
• Treatment engagement and retention 
• Wellness behaviors and lifestyle shifts 
• Mental health treatment readiness 

(Source: Psychology Today on MI) 

A 2021 systematic review found that MI is associated with statistically significant improvements in behaviors such as substance use reduction, increased physical activity, and better treatment adherence compared to standard approaches. Overall, MI helps people move from feeling stuck or uncertain to feeling empowered to make changes at their own pace. 

Why Is Motivational Interviewing a Good Fit for the New Year? 

The start of a new year can bring clarity for some and pressure for others. While society often encourages quick resolutions, therapists know that meaningful change rarely comes from external pressure. It comes from internal motivation, which is something that MI is designed to cultivate! 

Here is how MI fits into this seasonal shift: 

1. MI honors ambivalence 

Many clients enter the new year wanting change but also feeling fear, grief, or uncertainty. MI creates space to explore both sides without judgment. 

2. Motivational Interviewing helps clients identify their why 

Instead of focusing on what someone thinks they should do, MI helps clients connect to deeper values and personal meaning. 

3. MI promotes sustainable change

Since the motivation comes from within, the changes clients commit to (whenever they are ready) tend to be more durable. 

4. Motivational Interviewing meets clients where they are 

Some may feel ready to take big steps while others may only be ready to talk about possibility. MI validates both sides! 

5. MI creates momentum for the year ahead 

Even small shifts such as naming a hope, acknowledging a fear, and articulating a value can be powerful catalysts toward change. 

How Can Therapists Use Motivational Interviewing With Their Clients? 

As the year comes to an end, therapists can use MI to open reflective conversations:

• “What feels important to you as you move into the new year?” 
• “What parts of your life feel aligned with your values? Which feel out of sync?”
• “What would change look like, if you were to consider it?” 
• “What is the part of you that wants change? What is the part that is hesitant?”
• “How ready do you feel, on a scale from 0-10, to take the next step?” 

These questions do not push, but rather invite. Invitation is often what people need most! 

A Compassionate Beginning with MI

At Being Human Group, we believe growth comes from compassion, curiosity, and support. Motivational Interviewing aligns deeply with this philosophy. It gives clients the space to understand themselves more clearly and to move toward change when they are ready. 

As the new year begins, MI offers both therapists and clients a framework for exploring possibility with gentleness, clarity, and confidence. It is not always about resolutions, but rather real conversations that open the door to meaningful change!

About Our Michigan Therapists

The expertly trained and compassionate therapists at Being Human Group are licensed mental health professionals offering affirming, trauma-informed care to clients across Michigan through in-person sessions in Plymouth and Grosse Ile and convenient online therapy statewide. Our team brings advanced training and lived awareness in areas like trauma recovery, anxiety, depression, LGBTQIA+ mental health, relationship concerns, and life transitions, all grounded in a Health at Every Size and anti-oppressive, queer-affirming lens.  ​

When you reach out for a consultation about therapy, you are matched with a therapist whose background, specialties, and style align with your goals so you can access both practical tools for right now and deeper healing for long-term change. When you're ready, reach out and take the next step toward a more grounded, authentic life.