William Richard Miller (born June 27, 1947) is an American
clinical psychologist
Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...
, an emeritus distinguished professor of psychology and psychiatry at the
University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque. Miller and
Stephen Rollnick are the co-founders of
motivational interviewing.
Education
Miller received his
Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the
University of Oregon in 1976.
Career
Miller is emeritus distinguished professor of
psychology and
psychiatry and affiliated with the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA) at the
University of New Mexico (UNM).
He joined the UNM faculty in 1976. He has taught a wide range of subjects, including courses on
alcoholism and
abnormal psychology, and seminars on
positive psychology
Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, focusing on both individual and societal well-being. It studies "positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions...it aims t ...
and on
self-fulfilling prophecies. His primary scientific interest is in the psychology of change, but his research spans the treatment of addictive behaviors, self-regulation, spirituality and psychology, motivation for change, and pastoral psychology. He has been a visiting scholar at the Oregon Health & Science University, the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, Stanford University, and the
University of Bergen and the Hjellestad Clinic in Norway.
Motivational interviewing
Miller has changed the way clinicians think about the nature of
substance use disorders
Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs (including alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences as a result of their use. Substance use disorders are characterized by an array of mental/emotional, physical, and b ...
, their treatment and the means to effect change in patients. Early in his career, he emphasized that not all alcohol problems are severe and tested briefer interventions for mid-range problem drinkers. His
meta-analysis of the research on treatments of alcohol problems shows a
rank ordering
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
...
of those treatments with the most effective being active and empathic (brief interventions and motivational enhancement), while the least effective are passive (films, lectures) or confrontational.
[Hester, R. K. & Miller, W. R., eds. ''Handbook of Alcoholism treatment Approaches: Effective Alternatives 3rd ed.''Allyn & Bacon, 2003] He also demonstrated through controlled experiment that confrontation leads to states of resistance and denial, which many in the addiction field attribute to traits of those with
addiction.
Motivational interviewing, or motivational enhancement therapy, avoids creating such resistance by avoiding confrontation and eliciting motivation with open-ended questions and empathy.
Notes
Publications
*
* Miller, W.R. ''Living As If: How positive faith can change your life''. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, c 1985.
* Miller, W.R. and Rollnick, S. ''Motivational Interviewing, Third Edition: Helping People Change''. NY: Guilford Press, 2012. .
* Miller, W.R., Zweben, A., DiClemente, C.C., Rychtarik, R.G. Motivational Enhancement Therapy Manual''. Washington, DC:National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Project MATCH Monograph Series, Volume 2.
* Miller, W. R., & Muñoz, R. F. (2005).
Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You'' New York: Guilford Press. .
* Miller, W. R., & Delaney, H. D. (Eds.) (2005). ''Judeo-Christian perspectives on psychology: Human nature, motivation, and change.'' Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
* Miller, W. R., & Carroll, K. M. (Eds.) (2006). ''Rethinking substance abuse: What the science shows and what we should do about it.'' New York: Guilford Press.
* Miller, W. R., & Baca, J. C. (2001).
Quantum Change: When Epiphanies and Sudden Insights Transform Ordinary Lives'' New York: Guilford Press. .
* Miller, W. R., & Forcehimes A. A., Zweben, A. (2011).
Treating Addiction: A Guide for Professionals'' New York: Guilford Press. .
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, William R.
1947 births
Psychologists of religion
University of Oregon alumni
Living people
American clinical psychologists