Finding Your Way to Change: How the Power of Motivational Interviewing Can Reveal What You Want and Help You Get There

by Allan Zuckoff, William R. Miller (Foreword), Stephen Rollnick (Foreword)

Are you tired of being told by others--self-help books included--what you should do? Drs. Allan Zuckoff and Bonnie Gorscak understand. That's why this book is different. Whether it's breaking an unhealthy habit, pursuing that dream job, or ending harmful patterns in relationships, the key to moving ahead with your life lies in discovering what direction is truly right for you, and how you can get there. The proven counseling approach known as motivational interviewing (MI) can help. Drs. Zuckoff and Gorscak present powerful self-help strategies and practical tools that help you understand why you're stuck, break free of unhelpful pressure to change, and build confidence for developing a personal change plan. Vivid stories of five men and women confronting different types of challenges illustrate the techniques and accompany you on your journey. MI has a track record of helping people resolve long-standing dilemmas in a remarkably short time. Now you can try it for yourself--and unlock your own capacity for positive action.  

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction

387 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2015

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excluding books about meditation, I really have a hard time reading self help books. I like books about psychology, unless what’s in them will help me somehow. Then I find it painful to read. A lot of helpful info in this book. Painful, but informative.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a self help journal prompt book and useful for somebody who can take initiative to change in their own. it would not be useful, however, for somebody who is not a self-starter. It's a decent walk-through of motivational interviewing concepts, self applied.

[The other John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book from the library because I wanted to read up on Motivational Interviewing for my new job. It isn't so much a book about MI, but rather a book that uses MI to help the reader make changes in their life. Once I figured that out I decided to finish reading it to see what MI looked like in action. The book is set up in three sections. The first covers the concept that you don't have to change and trying to pressure yourself to make changes you don't want to make is self-defeating. The second section explores the reasons for making a change and your own confidence in making that happen. The third talks about actually making, executing, and evaluating plans for change. Through the book, Doctors Zuckoff and Gorscak follow five different characters through the process. The reader is presented with the characters' answers to various exercises and then invited to work the process themselves. (I declined, since I didn't want to take the extra time to analyze myself.)(It may be my loss, but the next book on MI will be on the library's hold shelf before I know it.) All in all, it seemed like a book worth checking out. It was easy to read and my B.S. detector didn't go off while I was reading.

[Dido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guide for reviewing the step by step process and devising a program to walk oneself through it; five good case examples taken throughout the book; worksheets on website. On the downside, the vast number of worksheets made the process seem a little tedious or at least hard to get through on one's own. Still, glad the resource is there and appreciated the histotry of MI in the appendix.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book at helping you get out of ambivalence and into action.