Motivational Interviewing has a long history of application to various addiction issues, but less is understood about its application to mental health disorders, particularly as they co-occur with substance use. In this educational video, Wayne Skinner, MSW, and Clive Chamberlain, MD, present a didactic overview of MI’s core tenets and techniques alongside live demonstrations of their use in a series of case vignettes with Bert, a male client in domestic crisis.

The clinicians begin by covering the method’s four guiding principles, along with providing insightful statistics on the prevalence of concurrent disorders. Affirming that concurrent cases aren’t as marginal as we tend to think, they go on to present key MI techniques to build an alliance with and engage Bert, who presents as angry, withdrawn, and ambivalent though desperate to see his kids. While emphasizing a positive therapeutic alliance, “rolling with resistance,” and building “change talk,” Skinner and Chamberlain illustrate the goals of MI and help Bert make tangible progress.

With its rich set of takeaways, this video offers both theory and practical tools to support your work with clients suffering from the debilitating effects of concurrent disorders. If you’re in search of solid resources on MI, addiction, or depression, be sure to add this video to your library.

By watching this video, you will:

• Understand the theoretical foundations of MI, including its guiding principles and spirit of the method.
• Learn how to support clients struggling with concurrent addiction and mental health issues, including when to consult.
• Discover ways to incorporate empathic reflection, developing discrepancies, and change talk into your client work.