Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, evidence-based psychological approach designed to strengthen a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. Developed for people who are ambivalent about making changes, MI is used for addiction, health behaviour change, depression, anxiety, and any situation where the desire to change and the resistance to change coexist.
Our registered psychologists in Melbourne offer Motivational Interviewing across four clinic locations and via Telehealth.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
Motivational Interviewing was developed by clinical psychologists William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, first described in a 1983 paper and expanded in their foundational text Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People to Change Addictive Behavior (Miller & Rollnick, 1991). It emerged from observations that a particular style of conversation — empathic, non-confrontational, and evoking the client’s own reasons for change — was significantly more effective than directive advice-giving.
MI rests on a core insight: ambivalence about change is normal and understandable, not a character flaw or lack of willpower. The approach explores the ambivalence openly — acknowledging both sides of the tension — and guides the person toward their own reasons and confidence for making a change they actually want.
MI is defined by four core processes: Engaging (building a therapeutic relationship), Focusing (identifying a direction for change), Evoking (drawing out the client’s own motivation), and Planning (developing commitment and a concrete plan).
MI is particularly effective for:
Research consistently shows that MI is more effective than no treatment or brief advice, and that specific MI-consistent behaviours — such as reflecting change talk and evoking the client’s own reasons — are the active mechanisms driving outcomes (Magill et al., 2017).
MI uses specific conversational skills to resolve ambivalence and strengthen change motivation:
MI is used by our psychologists both as a standalone intervention and integrated within other evidence-based therapies — particularly CBT, ACT, and Schema Therapy — at any point where ambivalence or low motivation is a barrier to progress.
Your psychologist will help you map both sides of your ambivalence — the reasons to change and the reasons not to — without pressure or judgement. This process often produces significant shifts in perspective and motivation.
Change becomes sustainable when it is connected to what truly matters. MI explores your core values and the gap between where you currently are and the life you want — creating intrinsic motivation for change.
Low self-efficacy — “I’ve tried before and failed” — is a major barrier to change. MI specifically targets confidence through strengths identification, reviewing past successes, and developing a realistic plan.
When motivation is strong enough, MI transitions naturally into concrete planning: setting specific goals, anticipating obstacles, and building a sustainable action plan.
Your first appointment focuses on understanding your current situation, what change you’re considering, and what has made it difficult so far. There is no pressure to commit to anything in the first session.
MI is often relatively brief — many people experience meaningful shifts in motivation within 4–8 sessions. It is also used as an ongoing component of longer-term therapy to refresh motivation when engagement dips.
We offer appointments in-clinic at our Mooroolbark, Wheelers Hill, Reservoir, and Melbourne CBD locations, as well as Telehealth sessions from anywhere in Australia.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
That uncertainty is exactly what MI is designed for. You don’t need to arrive ready to change — ambivalence is the starting point. MI works by exploring that ambivalence openly and non-judgementally, helping you find your own clarity about what you want.
MI was originally developed for addiction but is now widely used for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, chronic health management, and any situation involving ambivalence or low treatment engagement. It is frequently integrated with CBT and ACT.
Yes. MI delivered by a registered psychologist is covered by Medicare rebates via a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP.
The motivation to change is already there. Let’s find it together.
Burke, B. L., Arkowitz, H., & Menchola, M. (2003). The efficacy of motivational interviewing: A meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(5), 843–861. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.71.5.843
Magill, M., Apodaca, T. R., Borsari, B., Gaume, J., Hoadley, A., Gordon, R. E. F., Tonigan, J. S., & Moyers, T. (2018). A meta-analysis of motivational interviewing process: Technical, relational, and conditional process models of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86(2), 140–157. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000250
