Villanova Counseling Professor’s Book Sheds Fresh Light on Motivational Interviewing
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative and directive counseling approach that clinical mental health counselors can use to help clients strengthen their motivation and resolve to make positive therapeutic changes. It helps people resolve ambivalence to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior.
In Motivational Interviewing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Routledge, 2022), co-authors Edward Wahesh, PhD, Villanova University, and Todd F. Lewis, PhD, North Dakota State University, empower counselors with both the philosophical and actionable elements of MI.
The text is designed for readers across all levels of familiarity with motivational interviewing—introducing new learners to MI skills and enhancing those of MI veterans. It is also a resource for students enrolled in mental health counseling courses. “Drs. Lewis and Wahesh have created a thought-provoking and clinically relevant contribution to the understanding of the concepts of MI. Their use of case material and counselor/client dialogue expertly demonstrate the use of MI throughout different settings and clinical populations,” says reviewer Paul W. Toth, PhD, director of clinical education and training, Eagleville Hospital in Eagleville, Pa. “This is necessary reading for practitioners and destined to become a standard in the field.”
Dr. Wahesh is associate professor, Education and Counseling at Villanova University, where he teaches courses in addictions treatment, prevention, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavior therapy and appraisal techniques in counseling. He also has provided clinical instruction to students completing their fieldwork in clinical mental health counseling. Dr. Lewis is a professor of counseling and counselor education at North Dakota State University. Both Dr. Wahesh and Dr. Lewis are members of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.
A National Certified Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor, Dr. Wahesh has served as a professional counselor and supervisor in college, community, psychiatric inpatient and secondary school settings. His clinical and research interests include addictions prevention and intervention in collegiate settings, clinical supervision and counselor education.
Dr. Wahesh received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of Villanova’s colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.