Expand Motivational Interviewing for Pregnant People

Introductory Paragraph

Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based practice that is effective in helping people make decisions to stop negative behaviors and start positive ones. It has a high potential to help women who are pregnant and misusing opioids to make choices to get on a path to recovery.

Promising Practices

Electronic Motivational Interviewing
The patient can either use a tablet or be given a link on their smartphone to access the app. The link has a 3-D animated guide who walks them through an intervention specific to the patient’s responses, using the technique of motivational interviewing. The guide can ask questions like “what you like about the opioid use, and why do you use it, and what it does for you?.” The guide then reflects their answers. At the end of the session, if the patient indicates a need for change, the guide in the app can 1) help them develop a plan to change, 2) send tailed text messages after they leave the doctor’s office, and 3) suggest treatment options in there area. This type of intervention has already shown success in some communities and is currently being tested to address opioids. This intervention could be very successful for the following reasons 1) Using an electronic based system to ask these difficult questions could remove stigma from the situation 2) Most women will have access to a mobile device 3) It automates follow-up 4) Does not require additional motivational interviewing training for doctors as they do not have much time for in-depth screenings.

Contact for app: Steven Ondersma, Wayne State University

Expanding Training for Doing Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers

The Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) is an international organization of trainers in motivational interviewing, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit charitable organization in the state of Virginia, USA. The trainers come from diverse backgrounds and apply MI in a variety of settings. Their central interest is to improve the quality and effectiveness of counseling and consultations with clients about behavior change. Started in 1997 by a small group of trainers trained by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, the organization has since grown to represent 35 countries and more than 20 different languages.

Clinical Health Coach online training

The Clinical Health Coach® training is provided by the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium (ICCC), a not for profit, population health consulting, training and planning organization. Their mission is to build capacity with other organizations to deliver effective, personalized health improvement and chronic care strategies. Clinical Health Coach Training Online is a flexible, 26-hour self-paced, six to twelve week experience engaging participants in an online learning platform for topics that include Motivational Interviewing.