Partnership in Motivational Interviewing
August 18, 2026 2026-08-18 22:07Partnership in Motivational Interviewing
PARTNERSHIP IN MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
Partnership in Motivational Interviewing
Partnership in Motivational Interviewing means working with a person rather than doing something to or for them. It recognises that both practitioner and client bring expertise to the conversation.
The practitioner may bring professional knowledge and experience, while the person brings expertise in their own life, circumstances, values and priorities. MI brings these perspectives together in a collaborative relationship.
WORKING WITH, NOT ON
Partnership changes the conversation
Partnership means stepping away from the traditional expert-recipient relationship. The practitioner does not abandon their expertise. Instead, they resist assuming that expertise gives them the answer to what another person should do.
This becomes particularly important when people feel uncertain about change. Advice, persuasion and correction can easily invite people to defend the other side of their ambivalence. Partnership creates room for curiosity, exploration and shared understanding.
SHARING EXPERTISE
Two experts in the conversation
Partnership does not mean that practitioners stop offering knowledge, guidance or professional expertise. It means recognising that expertise exists on both sides of the conversation.
The practitioner may know about treatment, services, risks or possible options. The person knows their own life, what matters to them, what has worked before and what may or may not be possible now.
Motivational Interviewing brings these forms of expertise together. Rather than asking, “How do I get this person to do what I think is best?”, partnership encourages us to ask, “How can we work together to explore what might be right for this person?”
PARTNERSHIP IN PRACTICE
What Partnership in Motivational Interviewing sounds like
Partnership becomes visible in the way we respond. Rather than immediately directing, correcting or providing solutions, we make space for the person’s knowledge and ideas.
This might include questions such as:
- “What are your thoughts about what might help?”
- “Where would you like to start?”
- “What have you already tried?”
- “I have some information that might be useful. Would you be interested in hearing it?”
These are not simply techniques or phrases to use. They communicate something about the relationship: your perspective matters, your experience matters, and we can think about this together.
PARTNERSHIP AND AUTONOMY
Partnership does not mean agreement
Working in partnership does not mean that practitioner and client must agree. There may be genuine concerns about risk, health, safety or consequences, and practitioners may still have professional responsibilities they need to fulfil.
Partnership is about how we navigate those differences. We can be clear about our concerns and responsibilities while remaining curious about the person’s perspective and respecting their autonomy.
In Motivational Interviewing, partnership asks us to resist the temptation to take over the conversation. Instead, we seek to understand, share our expertise when appropriate and work alongside the person as they consider what happens next.
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You can learn more about Motivational Interviewing and its development at the official Motivational Interviewing website.
