Motivational Interviewing: Creating a Leadership Role for Social Work in the Era of Healthcare Reform

To better address the needs of individuals with a range of complex health conditions, the Affordable Care Act has shifted the focus from acute care to prevention through behavior change and promoted the integration of physical and behavioral healthcare systems. Central to healthcare reform is delivering person-centered care, which means actively engaging people in their treatment decisions and managing their wellness. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is perhaps the most widely used intervention to promote behavior change. Although MI is utilized across most health disciplines, social workers are uniquely positioned to lead dissemination and on-going training efforts in this area.