Motivational interviewing

What is motivational interviewing?

MI was developed by psychologists William Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980s and 1990s. It began in addiction treatment and is now used across health care wherever change is hard. It starts from a simple idea: feeling two ways about change is normal. Rather than persuading, lecturing or pushing, your clinician helps you explore your own reasons for and against change, and listens closely for the moments you talk about wanting something different. The spirit of MI is collaboration, acceptance and respect for your choices. It often sets the direction of care, while other methods like CBT or DBT provide the tools to get there.

How does Femme Health use MI?

Care starts with a personal intake, and MI shapes how your therapist talks with you from that first conversation: open questions, honest reflection and space to say what you're unsure about. No lecturing, no checklist of things you should be doing.

In clinician-led virtual groups, women share what change looks like for them, which often sparks your own ideas. Goals stay small and specific, chosen by you and reviewed together, so progress feels like yours rather than something assigned.

With your primary therapist, you'll work with ambivalence instead of arguing with it, whether you're weighing a return to work after birth, setting a boundary with a parent, or deciding whether medication is right for you. Your care advocate helps with scheduling, costs and next steps.