Motivational Interviewing: Theory, Practice and Applications with Children and Young People - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0956291805 ISBN 13: 9780956291806

Publisher: Positive Behaviour Management (PBM), 2009

Synopsis

Dr Eddie McNamara has now published his much awaited book ' Motivational Theory, Practice and Application with Children & Young People '.

orking with children and young people is an exciting and rewarding occupation. Significant numbers of young people grow up experiencing emotional, behavioural and social difficulties (EBSD) which, if not successfully addressed in their pre-adult years, often result in dysfunctional adults. This dysfunctionality may find expression in the person evidencing mental health problems – causing distress and problems to themselves, their families and sometimes the wider community.

The incidence of behavioural and/or mental health problems in both youth and adult populations is difficult to quantify, not least because of issues surrounding definitions and problems with regard to collecting data. However, the incidence is sufficiently high for the UK Government to give a high priority to the expansion and development of mental health services for children and young people.

Such an emphasis on early intervention has significant face validity – for successful early intervention has the potential to reduce the incidence of mental health problems in adulthood. Further, it is also intuitively reasonable to assume that the earlier problems are addressed the greater the likelihood of success – for ‘problem behaviour’ is less rigidly entrenched in the individual’s behavioural repertoire.

Up to The 1960’s psychoanalytic methods were the favoured approach.

These methods were somewhat exclusive to the extent that they could only be used by professionals with many years training and experience – and therefore reached but a small proportion of the population that needed help. Consequently, behavioural approaches, based on learning theory, very quickly replaced such methodology in the 1970’s and onwards – particularly in educational settings.

Behavioural approaches are based on the assumption that behaviour is and so tackling inappropriate behaviour became an exercise in teaching the young person to learn appropriate behaviour which replaces the inappropriate behaviour.

Such a rationale has had, and continues to have, a major positive impact on the methods used by the helping professions when engaged with ‘disturbed’ or ‘disturbing’ young people.

However, over recent years, it has become accepted that behavioural approaches can be somewhat limited with regard to tackling effectively the complexity of the problems that are addressed. Why? The answer to this question is as follows. Pupils function within three modalities, thinking, feeling and behaviour. Consequently some problems presented by pupils require the intervention to address feelings and thinking as opposed to merely addressing behaviour – for sometimes addressing behaviour alone is insufficient - see McNamara, E. (2004).

The methodologies that are currently being developed and used to redress the shortcomings of the behavioural approach are referred to as ‘cognitive-behavioural approaches’. It has been accepted that i) how people think can effect how they behave and ii) sometimes the focus of intervention should be on changing the way people think in order to effect change in their behaviour.

There are a number of principles that underpin cognitive-behavioural approaches. Perhaps the most important of these is that the intervention should be seen as a collaborative endeavour between the ‘helper’ and the ’helped’.

For such an assumption to find expression in reality requires that the person, young person in our case, wants to be helped ie is motivated to change.

Edition details

• Publisher: Positive Behaviour Management (PBM)
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0956291805
• ISBN 13: 9780956291806
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 234
• Editor: Eddie McNamara