The ideas behind our work.

This small book makes a genuine contribution to the practice of motivational interviewing (MI), elaborating on the underlying spirit or what Carl Rogers called the attitude of the practitioner.  In a way, it’s also about identity: who am I as I work with people?  The clear writing reflects the authors’ considerable experience and self-reflection in practicing MI.

“Spirit” is elusive and challenging to measure, yet also vital, as Steve Rollnick and I soon discovered when we were first teaching MI together.  Those whom we trained were using the techniques we described, yet something crucial was missing.  The words were there but the music was wrong.  It was as if they were using expert techniques on people to make them change. That’s when we began writing about the essential mindset and heartset of MI.  Without partnership, acceptance, compassion, and empowerment, MI rings hollow.

This spirit of MI is indeed aspirational. You can seek to actualize it – never fully attaining and nevertheless approaching it.  This book offers helpful guidance on how to manifest the spirit of MI through practice and reflecting on your work.  It contains another piece of the puzzle in learning how to be a person-centered helper.

The authors of this humble little book have done something remarkable: they provide a fresh voice and a new perspective in a crowded space. Their take on the aspirational nature of MI spirit – those qualities we hold as so essential to successful MI practice – in one fell swoop remade how I think about this core area. Hats off to Waitt, Cameron, Bonaiuto, Galletto, Jordan, and Wood. Well done.

If you found your way to this vital resource, then you are on your MI spirit journey and are finding that MI spirit is calling you in! It means you care about yourself as a provider and those you serve. The words and activities you discover here will help you feel more connected to an MI community and nourished as you enhance your MI practice. Here we can drop the “how-to” that keeps us stuck in working too hard and center on the “how-to-be.” This volume will offer you many great ideas for practice, application, self-reflection, and self-exploration. Dive in and let it help you flourish!

A wonderful guide that acknowledges the reality of everyday practice and the challenges that helpers may face in accessing their Spirit of MI and how to tap into this in a meaningful and inspiring way. This guide offers hope and confidence for being a supportive and understanding helper through our best and most difficult days as humans and guides in our professional practices.

The Aspirational Spirit of Motivational Interviewing is a useful and practical book. The authors have broken down the four circles of MI Spirit into their component elements, and then turned these elements into thoughtful affirmations as a way to reflect on one’s own practice. Several times I saw my less-than-MI habits revealed to me, with simultaneous guidance on how to improve my practice moving forward. Useful and valuable exercises with multiple possibilities for MI trainers, teachers, supervisors, and consultants. The chapter on “MI Under Fire” might be especially useful for folks learning MI in less-than-friendly circumstances.

A very helpful guide to support practitioners in developing and deepening the underlying attitude, the essence of MI.

This is a beautiful exploration of the deeper meaning and practice of Motivational Interviewing as a way of being in the growth space with another person. MI spirit is everything in the end. I will definitely offer this book in my top five recommendations to others who seek to create harmony, flow, and the creative and therapeutic connections that MI enhances.

This book is so insightful, highlighting the struggles of many that I have trained over the years. I found the step-by-step breakdown of the pillars to be most helpful, and can see this as a valuable learning guide. MI spirit is truly at the crux of all that is MI, and learning the spirit at such an accessible level is truly valuable. I found the reflective practice guide and self-assessment to be a unique opportunity for readers to take MI learning beyond the classroom and into daily practice.

I believe this would be valuable for anyone who has completed/attended an initial MI training. This manuscript, along with the self-assessment, would propel the learning from the initial training. As a MI trainer, I believe this would work well as a booster training for participants 90-180 days after an initial training.

It breaks the bigger parameters into concrete behavioral items so that perfecting MI becomes truly aspirational, like becoming a better parent (you can always improve more).

The Aspirational Spirit of MI’ is an easily accessible guide for practitioners and trainers to deepen their experiences with the components of the spirit of MI. It breaks down each component of MI’s spirit into easily digestible pieces that prompt reflection on our own experiences and practices. It explores the opportunities and challenges that often arise in the our striving to embody the Spirit of MI, as well as straightforward practical steps for further cultivating our Spirit. The wisdom in the book consistently uses a growth mindset and a compassionate honesty about the foibles of our human experiences to guide readers to take the next step in cultivating their ability to live and work in the spirit of MI.

I believe that the developmental framework, as created and illustrated in the MI Metamorphosis Map, simply but accurately delineates the crucial processes involved in “becoming MI”.

Alex Waitt and Sarah Cameron illustrate how and why Ask-Offer-Ask enhances communication and relationship-building in child welfare. Through real case scenarios, they show how MI can make a difference for clients and providers alike. This book is full of practical wisdom and inspiration for MI practitioners!”

Ask-Offer-Ask is more than just another MI strategy—it provides child welfare professionals with an accessible, field-tested foundation for integrating MI into everyday practice. This book offers practical tools for building trust, fostering collaboration, and engaging families, even in high-stakes conversations.

Ask-Offer-Ask is a simple yet powerful tool that helps caseworkers be more collaborative, empower clients, and achieve the positive outcomes we all want. But don’t be fooled—this book isn’t just for child welfare. Probation officers, juvenile justice staff, and anyone helping people navigate change will benefit from this resource.

“The way complex ideas are written makes this book relatable and easy to understand. The language structure feels like a conversation, exemplifying Bill Miller’s idea of ‘simplicity on the other side of complexity.’”

This handy book provides child welfare caseworkers with a practical, novel application of Motivational Interviewing (MI) in real-world conversations.

As an MI practitioner and trainer, it’s easy to brush over AOA because of its simplicity. This book helps child welfare practitioners take the deeper dive—critical because the ‘offer’ part can easily become too much advice, which can disengage the client.

This book is an excellent resource for new and experienced MI practitioners. It illustrates the art of MI, common reasons practitioners feel stuck, and how to put MI into action. It also highlights the benefits and pitfalls of Ask-Offer-Ask, ensuring better client-centered care.

Ask-Offer-Ask is a simple way of using the basic principles of MI to help engage and involve people in challenging conversations.

What impresses me most about this book is how deeply the authors explore an approach that may appear deceptively simple.