TPP 458: Dr. Emily Kline on How Motivational Interviewing Helps Kids Get Unstuck

In this episode, I’m joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Emily Kline for a deep dive into motivational interviewing—an approach to communication that helps parents move from fixing and convincing to connecting and collaborating. We talk about how to have hard conversations (think: hygiene, responsibility, and independence) in a way that respects our kids’ autonomy and actually opens the door to change.

Emily brings nearly 20 years of experience working with families, has taught at Boston University and Harvard Medical School, and is the author of The School of Hard Talks. She shares practical, compassionate insights that any parent navigating the teen and young adult years will find incredibly useful.

About Dr. Emily Kline

Dr. Emily Kline is a clinical psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience working with individuals and families in community mental health settings. She has held faculty positions at Boston University and Harvard Medical School and led research studies focused on early course psychosis, adolescent and young adult mental health, and parent-focused interventions.

Dr. Kline is the author of The School of Hard Talks: How to Have Real Conversations with Your (Almost Grown) Kids and the creator of The School of Hard Talks Online. She has published dozens of articles appearing in a range of peer-reviewed scholarly journals, textbooks, and popular magazines, and she has spoken with audiences all over the world about mental health and communication.

Dr. Kline completed her bachelor’s degree at Haverford College, her master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and her clinical and post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She lives in Boston with her family.

Things you'll learn from this episode

• Why motivational interviewing is a powerful communication tool that can improve family dynamics

• How fostering a sense of control in children leads to more thoughtful and responsible decision-making

• Why validating a child’s feelings and using reflections helps deepen understanding and connection

• How open-ended questions encourage more meaningful conversations and reveal what’s beneath the surface

• Why advice lands better when it’s offered after establishing trust, empathy, and true understanding

• How practicing these skills in low-stakes moments builds confidence for navigating harder conversations

Resources mentioned 

• Dr. Emily Kline’s website

• Free e-course on motivational interviewing

• The School of Hard Talks: How to Have Real Conversations with Your (Almost Grown) Kids by Emily Kline, PhD

• The Self-Driven Child with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (Full-Tilt Parenting)

• Dr. William Miller / Motivational Interviewing

• Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers

• Dr. Stephen Rollnick

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