Motivational Interviewing (MI) is widely used in children and family social work, as well as in health and social care services for adults.
A recent article by Nina Kyriacou and Dr Henry Smith (Target behaviour? A critical analysis of motivational interviewing in children and family social work) highlights how MI’s focus on individual motivation can risk shifting responsibility onto individuals to bring about changes that they are not able to influence because of the social and structural influences shaping their circumstances.
The paper raises an important question: when is it reasonable to focus on motivation, and how do we guard against inadvertently placing responsibility on individuals to change circumstances they can barely influence?
This CareKnowledge Live webinar is an opportunity to explore this and other questions about MI carefully, and to ask how it can be used ethically in everyday practice.
We are joined by Nina Kyriacou, Dr Henry Smith, and internationally recognised MI practitioner and trainer Fredrik Eliasson.
Through three connected conversations and a Q&A, this webinar will explore:
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The ideas about change and responsibility at the heart of MI
- How a focus on individual motivation meets the realities of social and structural inequality
- How practitioners distinguish between lack of motivation and limited capacity or opportunity
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What happens when MI is used in statutory contexts shaped by authority, risk and constraint
- How organisational pressures shape what becomes possible in everyday practice
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What this asks of professional judgement, and of ethical practice, in complex systems
The focus is not on developing skills, it is an invitation to think together about how we work with motivation in ways that are humane, context-aware and ethically grounded.
As always in CareKnowledge Live, the emphasis will be on thoughtful dialogue, professional curiosity and the space to think.
