Top 5 Books on Motivational Interviewing Every Helping Professional Should Read
Whether you're just discovering Motivational Interviewing (MI) or you're a seasoned practitioner looking to sharpen your skills, having the right resources on your shelf makes all the difference. Below are five of the most impactful and practical books on Motivational Interviewing—ranging from foundational texts to real-world applications—recommended for counselors, therapists, social workers, nurses, and other helping professionals.
What Is Motivational Interviewing?
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling approach that facilitates and engages intrinsic motivation within the client in order to change behavior. It relies on the principles of recognizing and respecting the person’s autonomy while assisting them in finding the motivation to move toward their goals. Understanding how to apply motivational interviewing techniques effectively can drive significant improvements in outcomes across various fields, including healthcare, addiction services, and personal coaching.
1. Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change & Grow (4th Edition)
By William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick
This is the definitive guide written by the creators of Motivational Interviewing. The third edition expands upon MI’s core concepts with updated research, enhanced strategies, and real-world applications. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to truly understand the spirit and science behind MI.
🔹 Best for: Practitioners new to MI or those wanting a comprehensive refresher.
🔹 Highlight: Includes transcripts, reflection exercises, and practical tools.
2. Building Motivational Interviewing Skills: A Practitioner Workbook (2nd Edition)
By David B. Rosengren
This workbook is ideal for clinicians who want a practical, skills-based approach to learning MI. Full of exercises, self-assessments, and examples, it helps you move from theory to action—whether you’re learning on your own or training others.
🔹 Best for: Individual learners and trainers.
🔹 Highlight: Step-by-step skill-building with helpful reflection prompts.
3. Motivational Interviewing for Mental Health Clinicians
By Jennifer Frey & Ali Hall
Rather than overwhelming readers with theory, this book is highly practical, offering tools, strategies, and real-world examples clinicians can immediately apply in therapy, case management, or crisis work.
🔹 Best for: Therapists, counselors, case managers, and mental health professionals at all levels
🔹 Highlight: Their writing is affirming, strength-based, and clearly written with working clinicians in mind—especially those in community mental health, crisis work, and integrated care
4. Motivational Interviewing with Adolescents and Young Adults
By Sylvie Naar
If you work with teens and young adults, this book offers developmentally appropriate strategies for using MI in education, healthcare, juvenile justice, and mental health. It's grounded in both research and clinical wisdom.
🔹 Best for: School counselors, youth therapists, pediatricians, juvenile justice workers.
🔹 Highlight: Practical, culturally responsive strategies tailored for younger populations.
5. Coaching Athletes to Be Their Best: Motivational Interviewing in Sports
By Stephen Rollnick, Jonathan Fader, Jeff Breckon, and Denise M. Niemiec
This book adapts the core principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI)—traditionally used in health care and therapy—to the world of sports and athletic coaching. The book emphasizes that athletes, like all people, are more likely to change behavior, adopt new mindsets, or push themselves when they discover their own reasons to do so—not just because they’re told to.
🔹Best for: Coaches, sports psychologists, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and performance consultants
🔹Highlight: Practical, non-clinical language that demonstrates how MI can be utilized in short conversations
Final Thoughts
Motivational Interviewing is more than just a technique—it’s a compassionate, collaborative way of working with people that honors autonomy and evokes their own motivations for change. These books offer a path from understanding to application, whether you’re in mental health, healthcare, education, or social services.
