Reflection On Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a technique in which one becomes a helper in the intrinsic changing process and express acceptance to the clients through the use of the spirits of MI. However, there are times in which one may encounter MI traps or challenges (Dart, 2011a). According to Dart MI challenges or traps often occur when the provider persuades clients to change, yet the clients demonstrate no interest towards change (Dart, 2011a). As a result, the client-nurse relationship may be compromised or loss. This reflection explores challenges encountered when building a therapeutic relationship with a client, Juan, related to behavioural change. This paper aims to to explore he way a nurse fall for a confrontation-denial MI trap, the strategies that may be used to overcome the trap, and to explore the applicability of the spirit of MI into the client-nurse relationship.
A month ago, Juan was diagnosed with lung cancer that metastasized to his liver. During this meeting, he is distressed due to the fact that his daughter is not in town and, thus he is unable to obtain cigarettes. During the meeting, Juan asked whether the nurse can purchase a pack of cigarettes for him as he has not smoke. In the nurse perspective, this was the perfect opportunity to persuade Juan towards behavioural changed. However, this approach only made the client resistant towards change, and it set the nurse up for a MI trap. This was the first encounter with Juan, as the nurse recently began to work for the Community Care Access Centre