Is the MI Spirit Missing Something? Belonging, Inclusion, Liberation Psychology, Cultural Humility, and Motivational Interviewing.

Recently, my colleagues and I were discussing ways to create learning environments that foster inclusion and belonging. During this conversation the question came up: “is the MI Spirit of Compassion, Acceptance, Partnership, and Evocation missing something?” I surprised myself with the enthusiasm of my reply “yes!” In this article, I hope to better explain why I hold this opinion. I will review some key points from Liberation Psychology and Cultural Humility. Ultimately, I will propose a new component that could be added to the MI Spirit.