Approaches → Motivational Interviewing
Motivational Interviewing in Langley, BC
For the part of you that knows something needs to change — and the part that isn't sure yet
Change is rarely simple. Most of us hold two things at once: the genuine desire for something different, and a very understandable resistance to getting there. We want to feel less anxious — but anxiety has also kept us safe. We want to show up differently in our relationships — but old patterns feel familiar, even when they’re painful.
This isn’t weakness or lack of willpower. It’s ambivalence — and it’s one of the most human experiences there is.
Motivational Interviewing — MI — is a collaborative, compassionate approach that works with ambivalence rather than against it. Rather than pushing you toward change, MI helps you explore your own reasons for it — and discover that the motivation was yours all along.
“Motivational Interviewing begins with a simple belief: that you are the expert on your own life. My role isn’t to convince you of anything. It’s to help you hear yourself more clearly.”
What Motivational Interviewing looks like
MI is a conversation, not a curriculum. In our sessions, it might look like exploring what matters most to you, examining the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and gently surfacing the strengths and values that already live inside you.
There’s no pressure. No agenda. I’m not here to tell you what to change or how fast to do it. What I offer is a space to think out loud — with someone who is genuinely curious about where you want to go.
I completed Motivational Interviewing Foundations training with the Centre for Collaboration, Motivation and Innovation in 2024 — and I find this approach weaves naturally into almost every area of counselling work, from parenting to anxiety to major life transitions.
Who MI helps most
Motivational Interviewing is particularly helpful for anyone navigating change they feel conflicted about — health behaviours, relationship patterns, career decisions, parenting approaches, or any area of life where part of you is ready and part of you isn’t. It’s also a powerful complement to other therapeutic approaches.
