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 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, 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 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. 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==