What do you do as a mental health provider when a client walks into your office and flat-out refuses to be there, is silent, or is disengaged?In this episode, Michael chats with psychotherapist and Motivational Interviewing trainer Kristen Dempsey about her book, Advancing Motivational Interviewing, and how to actually navigate those cases.They get into why Motivational Interviewing works so well when a client is stuck on the fence and how these skills end up being surprisingly useful outside the clinic, too....
What do you do as a mental health provider when a client walks into your office and flat-out refuses to be there, is silent, or is disengaged?
In this episode, Michael chats with psychotherapist and Motivational Interviewing trainer Kristen Dempsey about her book, Advancing Motivational Interviewing, and how to actually navigate those cases.
They get into why Motivational Interviewing works so well when a client is stuck on the fence and how these skills end up being surprisingly useful outside the clinic, too. Kristen also breaks down how MI can help to build real connection early on, why our instinct to "fix" people almost always backfires, and how to work with mandated clients without getting into a power struggle.
They also touch on practical group ideas, the whole concept of "lending hope," and how using MI might just save you from burning out. Tune in for the full chat!
Listen and Learn:
- How Motivational Interviewing (MI) helps clients uncover their own internal motivation for change
- Blending MI with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to meet clients where they are and navigate ambivalence
- Practical strategies for handling mandated and disengaged clients with the use of "comfort agreements," and offering flexible participation options
- How practitioners can act as a "professional hoper" in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- How MI can prevent burnout and cultivate deeper curiosity, compassion, and presence in relationships
Resources:
- Advancing Motivational Interviewing: https://www.kristindempseycounseling.com/kristins-book-advancing-motivational
- Kristin’s Website: https://www.kristindempseycounseling.com
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-dempsey-ed-d-lpcc-lmft-322812a/
- https://www.facebook.com/p/Kristin-L-Dempsey-LPCC-LMFT-100057356474362/
- https://www.instagram.com/kristin_d_author_trainer?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==&utm_source=qr
- MI Macrostack Collaboration: https://substack.com/@ali1850709/note/p-194642379?r=1tfnrv&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
- Michael’s Confidence Course https://herold.coach/course
About Kristin Dempsey
Kristin Dempsey is a psychotherapist, trainer, and counselor educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has over 30 years’ experience working with individuals, youth, and families with challenging behavioral issues that impact their lives, such as substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, trauma symptoms, and unresolved grief. Kristin believes that each individual has unlimited ability to change and grow, and she enjoys exploring the complexities of complex challenges and how to approach them with compassion and curiosity. Kristin has taught many classes in the counselor education curriculum, and she is currently focused on practitioner skill development, substance use disorder treatment, and effective practices in community mental health. Kristin is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), and she currently teaches motivational interviewing to behavioral health and other allied human services professionals. She is an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program and lecturing faculty at San Francisco State University. Kristin is the author of The Harm Reduction Workbook for Addiction (New Harbinger, 2024), co-author of Advancing Motivational Interviewing: An Experiential Skills Guide for Mental Health Professionals (PESI, April 2026), and a writer for The Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Workbook (New Harbinger, May 2027).
Related Episodes:
- 135. Power of Empathy and Motivational Interviewing with Stephen Rollnick
- 66. Helping People Change Using Motivational Interviewing With Nadine Mastroleo
- 402. Harm Reduction for Addiction with Kristin Dempsey
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