Motivational Interviewing: The future of healthcare conversations in Wales by Orla Adams
Published 19 November 2025
My name is Orla Adams and I am the Dietetic Lead for Maternal Weight Management in Cardiff and Vale UHB. I am also a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a MINT Certified MI Trainer.
I discovered Motivational Interviewing (MI) in 2006 when searching for a way to be more helpful to the people I was seeing in hospital and clinics. MI has been transformative in all areas of my work from my Dietetic practice to supervision and training.
I have been delivering training in MI since 2009 and I have had the privilege to train and coach a variety of disciplines including community support workers, doctors, physiotherapists, speech therapists, dietitians, sports coaches, amongst others. I have undergone training in MITI (Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity tool) and MICA (Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment tool) which has further developed my MI competency and helped guide my coaching of others.
I am now honoured to train and work with Professor Stephen Rollnick, co-founder of MI.
I’ve been working with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) to develop MI eLearning modules to share this knowledge and training with healthcare professionals across NHS Wales.
Why Motivational Interviewing matters
‘Motivational interviewing is a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment.’ (Miller & Rollnick, 2023)
Effective communication is crucial in healthcare in building engagement with people and working collaboratively to support them with changes that will improve their health and wellbeing. It is based on the person-centred approach developed by Dr Carl Rogers and helps health care professionals to develop relational and technical skills to help people resolve their own ambivalence about change.
This initiative will impact the entire healthcare workforce, including professionals in primary, community and secondary care. A wide range of healthcare teams across Wales have been engaged to ensure real-life examples and a representative approach to training.
Long-term benefits for patient care
Integrating MI approaches into daily practice will enhance patient interactions, increase care quality and improve efficiency and safety. By equipping professionals with skills in MI approaches, the workforce can provide compassionate, collaborative, and person-centred care, ultimately supporting better health outcomes.
Addressing key healthcare challenges
Healthcare services face many challenges and the staff within services can feel under pressure. MI is an approach that helps clinicians feel more effective in their work and has been found to reduce burnout in staff, there is a release from the burden of being responsible for making people change. We cannot make people change.
By embedding MI approaches, healthcare professionals can engage patients more effectively, empowering them to take an active role in their health. Research has shown that MI enhances adherence to treatment and helps people to make positive changes.
Evidence of effectiveness
Over 2,500 controlled trials and 200 systematic reviews and meta-analyses confirm MI’s effectiveness. Studies highlight that persuasion-based approaches often lead people to resist change, while MI fosters collaborative conversations that support lasting health improvements.
Rebecca Boore, Associate Director of Workforce Transformation (Nursing and Midwifery) at HEIW, a key advocate for the initiative, states:
"Developing motivational interviewing e-learning equips our multi-professional workforce with the skills to engage meaningfully with individuals. This training strengthens our collective ability to support behaviour change, improving health and wellbeing. By embedding these techniques across the workforce, we enhance person-centred care while driving population-level impact through more preventative, compassionate, and effective conversations."
With its potential to transform patient-centred healthcare, this ground-breaking initiative represents a crucial step forward for Wales’ healthcare system.
Please note: the MI resources, videos and eLearning module will be hosted on Y Ty Dysgu from 3 December 2025. If you don't have an account please Sign up - Ytydysgu Heiw
Launch event
Be part of the launch of HEIW’s Motivational Interviewing eLearning, 3 December, 3:30 – 4:30pm, online webinar.
Book your place now: https://forms.office.com/e/RAb7T7bap0. Registration closes 26 November 2025.
Contact heiw.nursingworkforceplan@wales.nhs.uk for further information.