Ep 9 MI & Positive Psychology

Motivational Interviewing and Positive Psychology

In Episode 9 of Talking to Change: A Motivational Interviewing Podcast, Glenn Hinds and Sebastian Kaplan welcome Majella Greene, a registered social worker with postgraduate study in applied positive psychology and social work policy and research. The conversation explores how Motivational Interviewing and positive psychology can complement one another when supporting people to move towards meaningful change and greater wellbeing.

Positive psychology is concerned with strengths, meaning, resilience, flourishing and the conditions that help people live well. Majella discusses how this perspective can sit alongside MI’s emphasis on the person’s own values, resources and motivations. Rather than overlooking difficulty, the discussion recognises that growth can include the full range of human emotion and experience.

The episode also considers the relevance of MI and positive psychology to social work, the importance of non-verbal communication, and the challenge of supporting practitioners who may themselves be experiencing stress or burnout. These themes connect closely with affirmations, empowerment and the wider Spirit of Motivational Interviewing.

In this episode

0:00 – Opening/introduction

2:45 – What is Positive Psychology?

7:00 – Flourishing through the full range of emotions

9:50 – Why call it Positive?

14:00 – Challenges in Research

21:40 – MI, Positive Psychology, and Social Work

29:40 – Examples of Positive Psychology in Practice

39:00 – Importance of Nonverbal Communication

47:00 – “Theme Tunes”

50:00 – What’s on your mind lately? Trauma Informed Practice; Practitioner Burnout

56:00 – Closing

Majella’s Theme Tune:

The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love: https://youtu.be/tKjZuykKY1I

Sebastian’s Theme Tune:

Curtis Blow – Basketball: https://youtu.be/_shxzlTRK44

Glenn’s Theme Tune:

Pharrell Williams – Happy: https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs 

Listen to Episode 9

Contact
podcast@glennhinds.com
glenn@glennhinds.com
sebkaplan34@gmail.com

BlueSky
@glennhinds.bsky.social
@sgkfromnc.bsky.social
@talkingtochange.bsky.social

For all previous episodes CLICK HERE

We welcome all donations to support us [wpedon id=”6940″ align=”center”]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS