Berger BA, Villaume WA. Motivational Interviewing for Health Care Professionals: A Sensible Approach. Washington, DC: American Pharmacists Association; 2013, 239 pp, $35.00 (softcover), ISBN 9781582121802.

Motivational Interviewing for Health Care Professionals: A Sensible Approach has arrived at the perfect time. Although motivational interviewing is fairly widely known and accepted by health care and mental health professionals as an evidence-based approach to improving treatment outcomes, there has been a sudden spike in interest by health care administrators. No doubt, the abrupt interest is spurred on by the alarming reality that if health care costs continue to increase at historical proportions, the percentage of gross domestic product is projected to be 34% by the year 2040.1 Leaders in health care are now burdened with the responsibility to change this course. Why does this book come at the perfect time? The authors Bruce Berger and William Villaume bring to light lessons learned from 20 years of teaching and research on motivational interviewing with health care professionals and students in health professional programs. They understand the special challenges of training health care professionals who have been rooted in the medical model and they have used their insights and expertise to make motivational interviewing, a patient-centered model, accessible. This book will appeal to health care administrators, and health professionals who know the current model of health care practice has to change but are at a loss as to where to start and overwhelmed by the enormity of what it might take to change a culture so embedded in traditional models of care. What is distinct about this book compared to others introducing motivational interviewing to health care practitioners is that it is written by authors with expertise in both health care and behavioral health (Bruce Berger) as well as human communication theory (William Villaume). Bill Villaume is also a Lutheran minister. Because of their unique expertise they have been able to bridge the chasm between the worlds of health care and behavioral health/health psychology. Because motivational interviewing was developed by 2 psychologists, William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, most of the initial trainings on motivational interviewing for health care professionals were provided by psychologists or other mental health specialists. Facilitators were surprised by the difference in receptivity between mental health and health care participants. They encountered much greater resistance with health care professionals and found training more challenging. Having been in both “worlds” Berger and Villaume share their insights about the differences between the 2 audiences and how they have been able to reach health practitioners in making them more open to reexamining their current practice and considering other ways of engaging patients in change. For those not familiar with motivational interviewing, the authors provide a very clear, concise, and comprehensive summary not only of the originators’ (Miller and Rollnick’s) work2,3 but also how the approach has evolved over the last 30 years. They also walk you through step-by-step applications of the principles and techniques using case scenarios from their own experiences. In their chapter “Toward a New Theory of Motivational Interviewing” the authors discuss the “nature and power of motivational interviewing.” Through helping patients “make sense of” the risks and consequences of their medical conditions, taking into account their values and aims for the future, health care professionals can help patients to make choices to “better manage their conditions” and reach their goals. “Motivational Interviewing for Health Care Professionals: A Sensible Approach” would be a valuable read for educators and students in health professional programs, for all professionals who work with patients, ie, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers, and health administrators.