Brief Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence based patient-centered counseling philosophy that helps people explore and work through their ambivalence about making health behavior change. It was adapted into a brief form that busy medical practitioners can use by Dr. Stephen Rollnick and his colleagues.

Brief MI may be useful for patients struggling with medication adherence, diet and exercise management, smoking, alcohol and drug problems. It enables providers to provide their patients with self management support, that is, to better support patients to become informed and activated health self managers.

Sharone developed a practical, comprehensive Brief MI curriculum for resident physicians that is linked to the chronic care model. Sharone and Karena have provided introductory lectures and workshops for schools of medicine, residency faculties, nurse practitioner schools, group medical practices, university health centers and community health centers. Sharone also developed a premedical student health coach program that is based on Brief MI. They are both SBIRT trainers. SBIRT is an early intervention drug and alcohol approach that uses Brief MI strategies.

Sharone Abramowitz is a psychiatrist in private practice and the Director of Behavioral Medicine for a primary care medicine residency in Oakland, California. Sharone completed her psychiatry residency at UCSF.

Karena Franses is the social work supervisor for the UCSF Positive Health Program, the outpatient HIV clinic at San Francisco General Hospital. Karena is a graduate of the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

They are both members of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.