I was recently reading the fourth edition of Motivational Interviewing by William H. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, and often found myself thinking about how this approach to helping is a great fit for neurodivergent people in general—and autistic people in particular. Miller and Rollnick define motivational interviewing, or MI, as “… a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment.” I am especially inspired by Miller and Rollnick’s summaries of the basic tenets of MI—what they refer to as the spirit of MI. I will review many of these principles, the spirit of MI, in this post. The Spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI) Miller & Rollnick write that the spirit of motivational interviewing “ … lies in … the helper’s underlying attitude of partnership, acceptance, compassion, and empowerment.” More specifically, the spirit, or heart, or way of being associated with MI includes (adapted from Miller and Rollnick): Acknowledging and honoring a person’s freedom of choice and self-determination (their autonomy) Helping a person work towards their goals …