[Guilford] [Motivational Interviewing] 4th edition [August 21, 2023] Paperback [Helping People Change] and [Grow] 4th Edition by [William R. Miller, Stephen Rollnick]

by Elin Perso

Genres: Psychology, Professional Development, Nonfiction

345 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2024

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this book for over a year, and then I opted to audiobook it, but it’s still really long and really dense. Here’s what I took from it.

1. Motivational Interviewing is really easy to understand. If you attend a workshop and read some books, it makes a lot of sense. It is INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT to put into practice in a sustained way. So folks who did the training, read the book, and then checked in a few months later basically were no longer doing MI when they thought they were. The only workaround there is like intensive observation, review, and skills data coding with a peer, yourself, or ideally an MI coach. That actually really put my mind at ease. I’ve attended an MI workshop almost every year for a decade and still I feel like I’m not getting it. So it’s nice to know that’s an everyone problem.

2. If I took anything from this, it’s…. If you find yourself convincing someone…. you’re taking away all the positive arguments towards change and they have to dig in harder with their resistance because you’re proving you don’t get their ambivalence. So the lectures, the cheerleading, the pep talks teachers do with kids is like an actual recipe for failure sometimes. It’s better to neutrally ask about a person’s plan and then ask for more detail when they say a supportive answer, and exaggerate a negative answer in a still neutral (NOT SARCASTIC!) way (ex “so your plan is to fail the class, not attend summer school, and hope for the best”)- because then the student has to correct you and outline a more positive plan.

And that’s where I landed.

[Lowry Edge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for book club at work! Had to count towards my book goal <3 if you’re a therapist/social worker, this book is very foundational motivational interviewing skills and it was a great refresher on how to be a person centered social worker!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was already 36 Continuing Education hours into learning MI when I started reading the 4th edition MI book, so I had a *lot* for this book to “stick” to, but nonetheless I found this book to be clear, educational, well-organized, and helpful to my Motivational Interviewing practice. It is, of course, not remotely enough just to read about MI in order to learn it, but Rollnick and Miller’s clear descriptions, excellent examples, researched-based context, and therapy-based reflections have deepened my understanding. I will be training staff at my organization in MI skills, and this book will be a core resource for me.

Also please note that this book is listed with an incorrect author. Miller and Rollnick are the authors, not "Elin Perso," whoever that is. But this is the only version of the 4th edition of Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow that I can find in GoodReads, so it seems worth leaving my review regardless. I also read the hardcover, but that isn't listed anywhere.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book on Spotify (even though only the paperback version shows up on Goodreads right now). Like most, I picked this up to deepen my understanding of MI, and since I hadn’t read earlier editions, it felt like a great place to start.

What I really appreciated was how clearly the authors explain how MI has evolved over time—especially the shift from evoking change to really empowering people. It helped everything click a bit more and gave me a better sense of why MI is practiced the way it is today.

My favorite part, hands down, was the use of different narrators for the client–provider conversations. Hearing MI in action made a huge difference for me. It’s one thing to read sample dialogues, but actually hearing how MI sounds helped it stick.

This book got me more interested in MI, while also reminding me (as the authors point out) that it’s a skill you don’t just “get” from reading—you need practice, feedback, and time. I walked away motivated, but also aware that I still have a lot to work on.

I’d recommend the audio version, especially if you want to hear MI modeled well, and the physical book is great to have on hand as a reference. If I hadn’t just bought another MI book specific to my field, I probably would’ve grabbed this one too.

[Thomas Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this would be equally useful for people who know nothing about Motivational Interviewing, and experienced practitioners. Excellent clarity and useful examples. The most enjoyable and useful academic book I've ever read.

[Jennifer C · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent resource for anyone in helping professions. I appreciated that the 4th edition recognizes that this method is used by those who are not therapists and that it moves away from "resistance " language.

[Ghislaine Cow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Practical and insightful. One for the tool kit to be referenced and re-read again and again.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Definitely influenced the type of therapist I'm going to be.