Glenn Hinds Motivation & Coaching Consultants

01/04/2026

Big Update: Motivational Interviewing Guidelines Changing from June 2026

After a major international review led by senior trainers and researchers, a new model of Motivational Interviewing is being introduced.

The approach is called:

Direct Persuasion MI (DPMI)

Key changes include:
• The “Fixing Reflex” is now considered a core skill
• Practitioners are encouraged to offer advice within the first 90 seconds
• Reflections have been replaced with “Helpful Corrections”
• Open questions should be used sparingly, as they “slow progress”

There is also a new evidence-informed technique called:

“Strategic Sighing”
Used to communicate disappointment when clients are not making sensible choices

Early pilot results are promising:
• Sessions are 40 percent shorter
• Practitioners feel more in control
• Clients… are attending fewer follow-up appointments

Training programmes are being updated, and a new coding system is on the way:

MITI 5.0: Directive Edition

Full guidance to be released later today.

Alright… .

If anything, the longer we practise MI, the more we are reminded:

Change doesn’t come from pressure, persuasion, or perfectly timed advice.
It comes from partnership, empathy, and helping people hear their own reasons.

Still… “Strategic Sighing” might feel familiar to some of us.

27/03/2026

Delighted to take another step towards Net Zero with our new fully electric BYD.

At Glenn Hinds Motivation & Coaching Consultants, we believe our actions should reflect our values. Moving to an electric vehicle is one way we are working towards a more sustainable future.

A big thank you to Charlie from CarLease4U.com for making the process smooth and helping us find the right fit.

Small changes matter. This is one we are proud of.

BYD Auto Europe Car Lease 4 U

25/03/2026

Three days of Motivational Interviewing with the team at Action for Children / Ballymena SureStart.

Working alongside practitioners who are already supporting families with mental health, emotional wellbeing, and early years development, often through approaches like the Solihull Model.

What stood out was how naturally MI fits with this work.

Conversations rooted in empathy.
Supporting parents to feel understood, not judged.
Working with uncertainty and mixed feelings.
Strengthening confidence and connection in families.

MI builds on what is already there. It helps shape everyday conversations so that change comes from within, not from pressure.

A thoughtful, open, and committed group. A real privilege to work with you all.

MentalHealth ActionForChildren PublicHealthNI FamilySupport TraumaInformedPractice

25/03/2026

I had a brilliant three days with the team at Action for Children Northern Ireland / Surestart Ballymena delivering Motivational Interviewing training as part of the Public Health Agency NI funded programme.

The team already use approaches like the Solihull Model, supporting families with parenting, emotional wellbeing, and mental health. There was a strong focus on understanding behaviour, building relationships, and helping parents feel supported rather than judged.

We explored how can strengthen this work even further:
• Listening in a way that helps parents feel safe and understood
• Supporting emotional wellbeing by acknowledging stress, uncertainty, and pressure
• Helping parents find their own reasons and confidence for change
• Working with mixed feelings rather than pushing for quick fixes
• Keeping relationships at the centre of every conversation

It was clear throughout the training that this team already values compassionate, relational work. Motivational Interviewing gives a clear structure to support those conversations and build on what they are already doing so well.

A really engaged, thoughtful group. Thanks for the warmth, honesty, and commitment across the three days.

fans Glenn Hinds Motivation & Coaching Consultants

02/02/2026

A blast from the past.

On 16 July 2001, The Sentinel ran this piece when I took up a post as a Community Drug Therapist in the Northern area of the westernhsctrust. I had just moved home after many years away, stepping into work that was urgent, complex, and deeply human.

What strikes me reading this now is not the job title or the photo. It is the core idea that still holds up. People use for reasons. Usually sensible ones, given the context of their lives. , loss, , disconnection, survival. When we ignore those reasons and focus only on stopping behaviour, we miss the point and often miss the person.

Back then, the work was already about one to one conversations, curiosity, and helping people make informed choices rather than being told what to do. That thinking later found a strong home in Motivational Interviewing, and it continues to shape how I train, coach, and work with practitioners today.

Twenty five years on, the systems look different, the language has changed, and the pressures have intensified. But the fundamentals remain. Effective change work is . It starts with respect. It grows through listening. And it works best when people feel rather than managed.

I am sharing this not for nostalgia, but as a reminder. Good practice has a long memory. Our task is to keep applying it with skill, humility, and care, even when the context gets harder.

If you are working in substance use, mental health, social care, or any role where change conversations matter, this is the work. And it still matters.

03/11/2025

A fabulous few days in Donegal with old friends.

30/10/2025

The next four Public Health Agency funded FREE Motivational Interviewing workshops, are now scheduled in November and December. For more details and links to register click link below

https://www.glennhinds.com/introduction-to-motivational-interviewing-training/

Action Mental Health Ashton Community Trust ARC Fitness - Addiction Recovery Coaching Open College Network Northern Ireland Ulster University Community Youth Work

Introduction to Motivational Interviewing Training Funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA)Practitioners and leaders across Northern Ireland who support individuals and groups affected by substance use, mental health challenges, suicidal ideation, and smoking are invited to take part in this three-d...

23/10/2025

In criminal justice, MI helps move conversations beyond compliance. Rather than enforcing change, MI explores ambivalence and evokes personal reasons for taking a different path. This respectful, collaborative style supports safer choices and lasting change.

22/10/2025

Humanist thinkers placed dignity, growth, and self-actualisation at the centre. MI shares this spirit, treating every conversation as a chance to affirm someone’s autonomy and potential.

21/10/2025

In MI, open questions do more than gather information, they invite reflection.

Closed questions often lead to short answers (“yes/no”), while open ones open the door to the person’s story.

For example, “Did you try cutting back?” narrows the response, but “What have you already tried when it comes to cutting back?” invites exploration and builds partnership.

20/10/2025

In MI, we don’t focus on deficits, we highlight strengths and values. A Monday reminder: the best way to face challenges is by drawing on what’s already within us.