Motivational interviewing: An intervention tool for child welfare case workers working with substance-abusing parents

Child welfare case workers have long known that abuse of alcohol and drugs is a major problem with many parents on their caseloads. This article discusses motivational interviewing, an intervention technique used with substance abusers. Motivational interviewing, which is based on the principles of motivational psychology, postulates that motivation is created in an interaction between the client and worker. Principles of motivational interviewing are discussed and illustrated in a case example.