MI for Change: Motivational Interviewing in ABA & Mental Health
MI for Change is the podcast dedicated to exploring Motivational Interviewing (MI) in behavior analysis and mental health. Hosted by Dr. Monica Gilbert, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Psychologist, this show helps professionals transform client conversations — one question at a time.
Each episode delivers:
✨ Practical MI strategies you can apply immediately in sessions
✨ Real case examples that bring concepts to life
✨ Inspiring interviews with experts across ABA and mental health
Whether you’re an ABA practitioner, therapist, counselor, or student, you’ll discover how simple shifts in communication can reduce resistance, strengthen rapport, and spark lasting change.
Because parent coaching and client conversations don’t have to feel like a struggle — they can be the spark that makes transformation possible.
Subscribe today and join the journey to becoming a more effective, confident, and client-centered communicator.
This is MI for Change.
Episodes
53 episodes
When "Okay" Doesn't Mean Agreement — What Collaboration Actually Looks Like in a Clinical Conversation
When a patient says "okay" — what does that actually mean?Sometimes it means I agree. Sometimes it means I understand. And sometimes it just means I don't know how to disagree with you.Those are three completely different situatio...
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You Don't Have an OARS Problem — You Have a Timing Problem
You've learned the OARS. You're asking open questions, you're reflecting, you're using affirmations. And you leave the session thinking — why didn't that conversation move? Why does it still feel like I'm pushing?Here's what Dr. Monica G...
The Missing Ingredient in Your Parent Training Sessions
You have the curriculum. You have the motivation. You've taken a course, learned the techniques, told yourself you're going to use open-ended questions and affirmations and reflections in your next parent session.And it still feels like ...
Why Stalled Cases Aren't a Clinical Problem — They're a System Problem
You're in a case review. The graphs are flattening. The child is making progress in session — treatment integrity is high, IOA is high, the programs look solid. But every goal that depends on what happens outside of therapy hasn't moved in mont...
Why Most CEUs Don't Change How You Practice — And What Actually Does
Have you ever finished a CEU training thinking it was genuinely good — took notes, highlighted the slides, told yourself you'd use it with your families — and then three months later couldn't remember what the presenter actually taught?M...
Don't Try to Impress, Try to Connect
Why do parents keep agreeing with you in session — and doing nothing at home?If you've ever asked yourself that, this episode is for you. Dr. Monica Gilbert sits down with Jany Bello, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA — founder of Exceptional Minds ABA — ...
Your Hair Isn't Green
If someone walked up to you and said your hair is green -- and it isn't -- you'd laugh it off. You wouldn't lose sleep. You wouldn't question your worth. You'd just know it wasn't true. So why is it that certain things people say can stick for ...
When You're a BCBA, You're All Alone
A parent said something to Dr. Monica Gilbert after a session that she's never forgotten. She wasn't criticizing. She wasn't feeling sorry. She simply looked at Monica and said: "When you're a BCBA, you're all alone."In this episode, Mon...
Stop Explaining More
"I've explained it five different times. They keep agreeing with me but nothing changes. I don't know how to get them to buy in." If you've sent that message to a colleague, said it out loud in supervision, or thought it at 10pm on a Tuesday --...
The Compliance Illusion: Why Agreement Isn’t Buy-In
Dr. Monica Gilbert posted a 60-second reel meant to teach the difference between passive, aggressive, and assertive communication. The response told her something else entirely.In this episode, she unpacks why so many RBTs imme...
Does Getting Better at ABA Parent Training Hurt Your Caseload? The Truth About Fading Services
Dr. Monica Gilbert almost didn't record this episode.Here's the question underneath it: what happens if you get so good at parent coaching that your clients need you less? What happens if families become independent faster — and services...
The Session Where I Said Almost Nothing — And the Parents Built the Whole Plan
Mom wanted structure and safety. Dad wanted independence and flexibility. For months they couldn't agree on anything — and the BCBA caught in the middle was running out of ways to explain, mediate, and convince.So she asked Dr. Monica Gi...
Why Parent Sessions Feel Awkward . How a Framework Changes Everything
Here's something almost nobody in this field says out loud.Parent sessions feel awkward.Not always. Not with every family. But often enough that you've probably rehearsed what you were going to say in the car on the way there. Oft...
Why BCBA Programs Never Taught You How to Work With Adults — And What to Do About It
Go back to your BCBA coursework for a second.Data collection. Behavior analysis. Program design. Ethics. Verbal behavior. The hours were real. The training was rigorous. And it prepared you to be an exceptional clinician for the children...
The Parent Is Your Real Intervention — Why Everything Else Is Secondary
Quick question: who is your client?If you said the child — you're right. And you're missing half the picture.Here's the math nobody talks about in BCBA programs: your child client spends maybe 10 to 20 hours a week in therapy. The...
BCBA Burnout: Why the Parent Piece Is Draining You (And What to Do About It)
You went into this field because of the kids. The sessions with them — even the hard ones — leave you feeling something. Fulfilled. Purposeful. Like you're doing exactly what you were trained to do.But the parent sessions? That's a diffe...
How to Stop Shrinking in Conversations | Build Confidence with Motivational Interviewing
Most people think confidence is something you’re born with.It’s not.In this episode of MI For Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert breaks down the real reason you feel yourself shrinking in difficult conversations—and how to finall...
Stop Fighting Resistance: The Real Reason Clients Push Back (Motivational Interviewing)
“Clients aren’t fighting you… they’re fighting to feel understood.”In this episode of MI4Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in therapy, ABA, and leadership: resistance.Why...
Motivational Interviewing Role Play: What It Actually Sounds Like in Real Sessions
What does Motivational Interviewing actually sound like in a real conversation?In this episode of MI For Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert walks you through a live role play using motivational interviewing techniques—fo...
Motivational Interviewing Explained: The 3 Core Foundations Every Therapist Must Know
If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to actually apply Motivational Interviewing in real sessions—this episode is your starting point.In this foundational episode of MI4Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert breaks down the 3 es...
Dale Carnegie vs Motivational Interviewing: The Difference Between Influence and True Change
In this episode of MI For Change, Dr. Monica Gilbert explores a powerful and often misunderstood comparison: Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” vs. Motivational Interviewing (MI).While both approach...
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How to Build Systems and Culture That Scale in Your Practice
In this episode of MI4Change, we explore how Motivational Interviewing can be applied beyond clinical work—into leadership, business growth, and organizational culture.If you’re a: • BCBA • Business owner • Cli...
Motivational Interviewing in Leadership: How to Motivate Staff and Build Buy-In
In this episode of MI4Change, we explore how Motivational Interviewing can transform the way you lead and motivate your team.If you’re a: • BCBA • Clinical supervisor • Business owner • Leader or manag...
Resistance vs Discord in Motivational Interviewing: How to Handle “Resistant” Clients
In this episode of MI For Change, we explore one of the most misunderstood concepts in therapy and behavior change: resistance.What if your client isn’t actually resistant?In Motivational Interviewing, what we often label a...
SLPs, BCBAs, and MI: How Better Collaboration Helps Families
What happens when two professionals want the same outcome for a child… but speak completely different languages?In this episode of MI for Change, I’m joined by Rose Griffin, a speech therapist and BCBA, to talk about one of the bi...
