Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, client-centered yet directive counseling approach — developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980s — designed to strengthen an individual’s intrinsic motivation and commitment to behavior change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. Grounded in a collaborative, empathic, and autonomy-supportive “spirit” (partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation), MI uses core communication skills known as OARS (open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries) to elicit and reinforce “change talk” — the client’s own arguments for change — while minimizing resistance and sustain talk. Within nutritional psychology, MI is widely applied to support modification of dietary intake behaviors (DIBs) in contexts such as weight management, disordered eating, chronic disease prevention, and adherence to nutritional recommendations, offering a framework that respects client autonomy while helping individuals align their eating patterns with personally meaningful health, well-being, and mental health goals.