This pragmatic guide spells out how to use motivational interviewing (MI) to have productive conversations about behavior change with adolescents and young adults in any clinical context. Filled with vivid examples, sample dialogues, and "dos and don'ts," the book shows how conducting MI from a developmentally informed standpoint can help practitioners quickly build rapport with young patients, enhance their motivation to make healthy changes, and overcome ambivalence.

Experts on specific adolescent problems describe MI applications in such key areas as substance abuse, smoking, sexual risk taking, eating disorders and obesity, chronic illness management, and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems.

"A beautifully written, well-organized, and immensely substantive book on collaborating with young people who are struggling with serious challenges. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with teenagers and young adults. Readers will benefit from its unique blend of spirit and skill, lively illustrations, and universal lessons. I guarantee that this book will not disappoint!"-Andrew Malekoff, LCSW, CASAC, Executive Director, North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center, Roslyn Heights, New York

"The authors combine a user-friendly style with rigorous research evidence. The book is well organized and offers enough detail to enable practitioners to grasp the subtleties that can make the difference between being effective or not. The useful examples, tips, and chapter summaries make it a handy reference not only for counselors-in-training, but also for experienced counselors, educators, and others working with this client group. Also offered are very useful, practical models of how MI can be adapted to particular behavioral issues, such as eating disorders and smoking cessation. An indispensable guide for anyone working with issues of behavior change in young people."-Ariana Faris, MSc, private practice, Cardiff, United Kingdom; member, Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)

"Filling a critical void, this book answers the call of practitioners and scholars who for years have been asking for a clinical text on how to use MI with youth. Naar-King and Suarez describe the developmental context and provide many easy-to-read examples of using each MI principle and strategy with adolescents and young adults. The authors have also drawn together some of the most prominent figures in MI to describe applications for specific populations and settings. This book would make an excellent stand-alone text for a course on MI or a great supplemental text for any course on clinical interventions with youth."-Keith Herman, PhD, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri