In this episode of Therapist Thrival Guide, host Miranda, a licensed clinical social worker, is joined by Dr. Sara Polley, Chief Medical Officer at Ellie Mental Health and a psychiatrist specialized in addiction medicine.
The duo discuss the principles and practices of Motivational Interviewing (MI), a therapeutic style aimed at evoking change talk and addressing ambivalence in clients. They explore the history, key concepts, and practical applications of MI.
The conversation includes:
- The OARS technique (Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries)
- Identifying change talk versus sustain talk
- Aligning therapeutic goals with client values
Practical tips and real-life examples are shared to help clinicians incorporate MI into their practice effectively.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
02:42 Motivational Interviewing Overview
05:21 Practical Applications and Examples
07:07 The Spirit of Motivational Interviewing
16:19 Skills and Techniques in Motivational Interviewing
26:00 Understanding Anhedonia and Open-Ended Questions
27:49 Affirmations: Challenges and Examples
33:32 Reflections: Simple, Complex, and Amplified
37:11 Summarizing: Crafting the Perfect Bouquet
41:30 Exploring Ambivalence and Change Talk
43:22 Tools and Techniques: Change Ruler and Value Sort Cards
45:41 Engagement and Focusing in MI
49:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.
Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for over three years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Director of Content and Production at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.
The Therapist Thrival Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy
The Therapist Thrival Guide 
