Eleison Foundation recently conducted an Introduction to Motivational Interviewing (MI) training for service providers in the anti-human trafficking sector in Cebu, Philippines. MI is a person-centered, evidence-based counseling approach to strengthening a person’s motivation for and commitment to change within an atmosphere of partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation. Participants in the recent MI training included representatives from the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), two agencies offering shelter-based services, and a social enterprise providing employment for survivors of human trafficking, gender-based violence, and online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).
At Eleison, we integrate MI into all of our services for survivors and their family members. In our practice experience, we have witnessed how MI can help survivors strengthen their personal motivation and commitment to specific change goals while simultaneously respecting client autonomy. MI is particularly appropriate for implementation with survivors given its consistency with trauma-informed and client-centered practice. Through our capacity building initiatives at Eleison, we aim to equip more partner agencies in implementing this collaborative and goal-oriented communication style as a way to improve the quality of care for survivors.
Eleison’s MI training centers on MI that has been adapted for the Filipino cultural context. Prior research has demonstrated that cultural adaptation of MI increases its effectiveness. However, the majority of research focusing on cultural adaptation of MI has centered on Latinx and Native American populations. Very little attention has been given to cultural adaptation of MI in Asia, including the Philippines. Given this gap, Eleison has conducted prior formative work on the cultural adaptation of MI for the Filipino context, including attention to linguistic nuances, cultural norms regarding authority patterns, social and cultural contexts that influence survivors’ change goals and behaviors, and attention to social structures impacting marginalized communities. Further information regarding Eleison’s work on the cultural adaptation of MI can be found in this research brief.
If your organization is interested in participating in one of our training and capacity building programs or in incorporating MI into your work with survivors, please send an email to info@eleisonfoundation.org.
