If you’ve ever felt like traditional “motivation” strategies don’t land with neurodivergent clients… you’re not imagining it.

In this episode, I break down how to use Motivational Interviewing (MI) in a way that actually fits autism, ADHD, and PDA profiles—without overwhelming, pressuring, or accidentally triggering shutdown.

We talk about the practical stuff clinicians often miss:

Why social approval isn’t always the motivator (and what to focus on instead)

How processing speed + sensory load changes the way we should communicate

Why short, concrete reflections often work better than long summaries

What changes when demands feel threatening (PDA), even when your intentions are good

The simplest shift you can make today: replacing “What’s your goal?” with “What feels important right now?”

You’ll leave with language you can use immediately—especially if you work with teens, adults, or verbal kids who want change… just not at the cost of feeling controlled.

🎧 Listen now, and tell me: what neurodivergent profile do you work with most?

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

Most professionals don’t struggle because they don’t care.

They struggle because the people they’re trying to help… don’t see what’s in it for them.

In this episode of MI for Change, I had the pleasure to sit down with Dr. Paulie to talk about why telling people what to do rarely leads to real change—even when the advice is solid and well-intentioned.

Together, we explore:

* Why “resistance” is often a signal—not a problem
* How values drive behavior more than information ever will
* What happens when professionals unintentionally impose their own values
* Why consent, buy-in, and engagement are skills—not personality traits
* How Motivational Interviewing helps people change without pressure or coercion

This conversation is for clinicians, educators, leaders, and helpers who’ve ever thought: “Why isn’t this working?”

If you work with parents, staff, clients, or teams—and change feels harder than it should—this episode will help you see why.

Learn More about Dr Paul Gavoni: https://thebehavioraltoolbox.com/

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

with clients.

You’ll learn why trauma is fundamentally about loss of control, and how MI restores what trauma takes away: choice, voice, and agency — without removing accountability or direction.

This episode breaks down:

• Why “trauma-informed” has become a buzzword (and how it’s often misunderstood)
• How MI prevents re-traumatization by supporting autonomy
• The difference between trauma-informed care and permissive therapy
• Why avoiding discomfort isn’t the same as providing safety
• How MI helps re-engage clients who feel “therapied out”
• How to balance compassion and movement in clinical conversations

Whether you’re a therapist, clinician, or someone who wants to communicate more ethically and effectively, this episode will help you rethink what trauma-informed care really looks like in action.

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

Giving assessment results to parents can be one of the most emotionally charged moments in clinical work.

In this episode of MI for Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert explores how Motivational Interviewing (MI) can help clinicians deliver psychological and educational assessment feedback in a way that feels supportive, collaborative, and empowering—instead of overwhelming or defensive.

You’ll learn why even technically accurate feedback can miss the mark emotionally, how fear and grief often show up as “defensiveness,” and what to say (and not say) when sharing difficult results like an autism diagnosis or learning challenges.

Whether you’re a psychologist, behavior analyst, therapist, school professional, or parent-facing clinician, this episode will help you transform feedback sessions into conversations that foster understanding and forward movement.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why parents may shut down during assessment feedback—even when you’re “doing everything right”
• How MI helps reduce defensiveness and emotional overwhelm
• Questions that invite collaboration instead of resistance
• How to evoke next steps without pressuring families
• Ways to balance clinical clarity with empathy and partnership

🎧 Listen now and learn how how you communicate results can change what happens next.

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

Motivational Interviewing isn’t just about being warm, empathic, and reflective — it’s about being intentional.

In this first episode of Season 2, Dr. Monica Gilbert takes you beyond the basics and into the advanced, often untaught skills of Motivational Interviewing. If you’ve ever felt like your sessions are respectful and supportive… but not actually moving clients toward change, this episode is for you.

Dr. Gilbert breaks down the seven levels of reflections, showing how each level serves a different purpose — and how higher-level reflections can reduce resistance, evoke insight, and gently guide clients toward change without pressure or confrontation.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why MI without strategy can become “polite conversation” instead of change work
• The 7 levels of reflections, from simple to advanced
• How to move from surface-level reflections to meaning-based reflections
• How double-sided reflections normalize ambivalence and create movement
• What strategic hypothesis testing reflections are — and how to use them ethically
• Why tone and intention matter as much as the words you choose
• How MI is like learning a new language — and why practice + feedback are essential

💬 “MI isn’t just about sounding empathic — it’s about being intentional with where the conversation is going.”

💬 Join the Conversation:
Which level of reflection do you find yourself using most often?
Reply or comment — I’d love to hear what resonated with you.

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

In this episode of MI for Change, I share a surprising tool that can instantly sharpen your reflections and your ability to stay present with clients: the Meisner repetition exercise (a famous acting technique).

Actors train for months to learn how to listen, respond, and stay emotionally present—so why do we assume these skills should “just come naturally” in therapy, supervision, or hard conversations?

I break down how the Meisner technique parallels Motivational Interviewing—especially reflections—and how you can use this as a practical exercise with supervisees, clinicians, or even in your own daily communication.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the Meisner repetition exercise is (and how to run it as a training activity)
• Why reflections are not parroting content—but mirroring meaning and emotion
• How to notice micro nonverbals (tone shifts, hesitation, body language) and reflect what’s “alive”
• How to stay with emotion (including tears) without rushing to “fix” it
• How to make your reflections more human, more transformational, and less robotic

If reflections ever feel awkward, “therapisty,” or forced—this episode will give you a new way to practice that feels natural and effective.

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

In this episode of MI for Change, I’m joined by Hillary Logan, LCSW, MINT-certified trainer and founder of MI Center for Change, for a deep, practical conversation about sustain talk—or as Hillary calls it, “stuck talk.”

Together, we explore what sustain talk is really telling us about a client’s readiness, why it’s protective (not resistance), and how to soften sustain talk without amplifying it, while intentionally cultivating change talk.

We talk about:

• Why sustain talk isn’t the problem—but how we respond to it can be
• How softening sustain talk mirrors behavioral principles like differential reinforcement
• When reflecting sustain talk helps—and when it accidentally strengthens it
• Why silence feels so uncomfortable (and how to use it skillfully)
• How provider mindset, tone, and curiosity shape client outcomes
• Using the four processes of MI (engage, focus, evoke, plan) as an assessment tool when sessions feel “stuck”

This episode is especially helpful for clinicians who feel confident with OARS, but struggle with the technical side of MI—how to move sessions forward without fixing, pushing, or arguing.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to turn stuck moments into movement.

Resources Mentioned

• MI Center for Change: www.micenterforchange.com

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert

In this episode of MI for Change, I’m sharing one of my favorite topics: how to translate Motivational Interviewing (MI) into ABA language—in a way that feels objective, teachable, and easier to apply in real sessions.

I walk you through a foundational paper—“A Behavior Analytic Account of Motivational Interviewing” by Michael Doerr & Paulette Christopher—and use it to break down MI concepts like intrinsic motivation, ambivalence, discrepancy, the MI Spirit, OARS, change talk vs. sustain talk, and differential reinforcement through a behavioral lens.

You’ll also hear the objective MI definition I constructed with input from behavior analysts:

Motivational Interviewing is the intentional arrangement—through timing, tone, and type of verbal contingencies—designed to evoke, differentially reinforce, strengthen, and generalize change talk.

If you’ve ever wondered how MI fits inside ABA (without losing the “spirit” of MI), this episode will help you connect the dots—and walk away with language you can use to train staff, teach interns, and strengthen parent coaching conversations.

Resources Mentioned:

• A Behavior Analytic Account of Motivational Interviewing (Doerr & Christopher) — link in show notes/description (add your link)

💬 Join the conversation:
Reply/comment with your take: Which MI concept do you want me to translate into ABA next?

Learn more about Motivational Interviewing and explore on-demand courses at www.drmonicagilbert.com

Join the MI Academy for practical training and resources — and enjoy an exclusive 15% off with code MIFORCHANGE at checkout.

📲 Connect with me on Instagram: @drmonicagilbert