Notes on practice # Blog Occasional writing on Motivational Interviewing, compassion, and the everyday work of helping people. - ## [Neuroaffirming Care: 5 Principles for Therapists](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/neuroaffirming-care-5-principles-for-therapists/) July 23, 2026 · 9 min read Neuroaffirming therapy honors neurodiversity through five principles: flexibility, lifelong learning, acceptance, advocacy and genuineness. - ## [Applied Acceptance: Accepting Ourselves and Accepting Others in the Helping Profession](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/applied-acceptance-accepting-ourselves-and-accepting-others-in-the-helping-profession/) October 2, 2025 · 8 min read Acceptance is a vital part of working with ourselves and others - but its importance is too often overlooked in the helping profession. - ## [Mindfulness: An Exploration of Mindfulness in Therapeutic Approaches](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/mindfulness-an-exploration-of-mindfulness-in-therapeutic-approaches/) October 2, 2025 · 7 min read What is mindfulness, and why is it so often used as a therapy intervention? This article explores the often elusive nature of this buzzword. - ## [Is Venting Helpful? Emotional Venting, Compassion and Our Minds](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/is-venting-helpful-emotional-venting-compassion-and-our-minds/) October 2, 2025 · 7 min read Venting can feel like relief, but does it actually help? A look at emotional venting, compassion, and kinder ways to work with tough feelings. - ## [Motivational Advising: Motivational Interviewing and the Role of the Academic Advisor](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/motivational-advising-motivational-interviewing-and-the-role-of-the-academic-advisor/) October 2, 2025 · 8 min read The compassion and empathy at the heart of Motivational Interviewing fit many roles, including supervision, leadership, and academic advising. Here is how. - ## [Challenging Conversations and Complex Compassion: Revisiting the LARA (Listen Affirm Respond Add) Guidelines for Use in Diversity Dialogues](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/challenging-conversations-and-complex-compassion-revisiting-the-lara-listen-affirm-respond-add-gu/) October 2, 2025 · 7 min read Conversations about difference, diversity, and equity can be difficult. The L.A.R.A. approach gives us some structure for these challenging conversations. - ## [Microaggressions, Microaffirmations, and Motivational Interviewing](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/microaggressions-microaffirmations-and-motivational-interviewing/) October 2, 2025 · 10 min read What is the deal with microaggressions, and what can I do about it? This article explores how to use microaffirmations and the impact of microaggressions. - ## [Accepting Feedback: a Core Skill in the Practice of Cultural Humility](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/accepting-feedback-a-core-skill-in-the-practice-of-cultural-humility/) October 2, 2025 · 10 min read Exploring how the ability to receive and integrate feedback is essential for developing cultural humility in therapeutic and training contexts. - ## [Integrating Cultural Humility into the Motivational Interviewing Trainer's Toolkit](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/integrating-cultural-humility-into-the-motivational-interviewing-trainer-s-toolkit/) October 2, 2025 · 7 min read A guide for MI trainers on incorporating cultural humility principles to create more inclusive and effective training environments. - ## [Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI)](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/compassion-focused-therapy-cft-and-motivational-interviewing-mi/) October 2, 2025 · 6 min read An examination of how Compassion Focused Therapy principles can be integrated with Motivational Interviewing to enhance therapeutic outcomes. - ## [Is the MI Spirit Missing Something? Belonging, Inclusion, Liberation Psychology, Cultural Humility, and Motivational Interviewing](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/is-the-mi-spirit-missing-something-belonging-inclusion-liberation-psychology-cultural-humility/) October 2, 2025 · 8 min read How belonging, inclusion, liberation psychology and cultural humility can widen the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. - ## [Mindful Self-Compassion, MI, and the Inquiry Method in Therapy](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/mindful-self-compassion-mi-and-the-inquiry-method-in-therapy/) October 2, 2025 · 8 min read How Mindful Self-Compassion, Motivational Interviewing and the MSC Inquiry method fit together in therapy and helping work. - ## [Becoming a Culturally Humble Compassionate Mess](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/becoming-a-culturally-humble-compassionate-mess/) October 2, 2025 · 12 min read Being a compassionate mess means being a lifelong learner who will make clumsy mistakes, and meeting the hard feelings that come up with kindness. - ## [Bringing the Macro to the Micro in Mental Health: Structural Competence, Macro Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Socially Engineered Trauma (SET)](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/bringing-the-macro-to-the-micro-in-mental-health-structural-competence-macro-motivational-intervie/) October 2, 2025 · 12 min read Macro MI, structural competency and socially engineered trauma: bringing macro issues into micro, one-on-one helping work in community mental health. - ## [What is the point of therapy?: race, culture & neurodiversity](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/what-is-the-point-of-therapy-race-culture-neurodiversity/) November 11, 2024 · 8 min read Is therapy a tool for liberation or for fitting people back into the systems that harm them? Reflections on race, culture and neurodiversity in therapy. - ## [Reflections of a Wounded Healer](https://intrinsicchange.com/post/thoughts-from-a-wounded-healer/) October 14, 2024 · 7 min read A therapist’s reflections on the wounded healer: how our own struggles and lived experience can shape, and strengthen, the way we help others. --- Intrinsic Change: Motivational Interviewing, trauma-informed care and other staff training for nonprofit and human service teams in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin, plus LCSW clinical supervision. Email hello@intrinsicchange.com · Phone 414-306-5068 · [Contact form](https://intrinsicchange.com/contact/) [Guide for AI agents (llms.txt)](https://intrinsicchange.com/llms.txt) · [Sitemap](https://intrinsicchange.com/sitemap.xml)