Meet Adam Rietveld

Adam Rietveld
WHY Adam SHARES

“I share MI because of how it can benefit clinicians and helpers which will ultimately filter down to clients and the people they serve in the best way possible. I share MI because I remember what it was like for me, in my first introductory MI training as a participant. That first training challenged my own beliefs about what I thought I was responsible for in the helping relationship. Originally believing I needed to solve client problems through some combination of cleverness and logical trickery to get the client to some end goal in service of some outcome measure was thrown out the window. Here was this way of being present with people that consisted of partnership, collaboration, acceptance, compassion, and not cleverness but curiosity. Realizing the person across from the helper is in fact the expert on themselves and responsible for change was freeing. Allowing the client to be the expert on themselves, the expert they have always been. Through exploring their own intrinsic reasons to change behavior instead of leading them to some external reasons clients were making lasting changes. I share because I believe MI can help all helpers be more effective with the people they serve.”

ABOUT Adam
I have over 15 years of experience in the behavioral and mental health field working with a variety of presenting problems and concerns across a wide array of settings, from outpatient to residential. About 8 years into my career I was burnt out; I was at my fourth agency and had become disillusioned with the helping professions. It was only after my own Motivational Interviewing (MI) training that I became re-energized and re-engaged in my work. I continue to use MI daily with my own clients and was invited to join the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) in 2016. I have conducted MI trainings for health care, counselors, social workers, substance use treatment, foster care case workers, professors, students, probation officers, and other frontline social service staff.