Applying Motivational Interviewing Strategies to Facilitate Secure Firearm Storage During Clinical Encounters-Part 1: Relational Foundation.

Encouraging changes in firearm-related storage practices through lethal means safety (LMS) counseling can be challenging. Motivational interviewing (MI) may be a useful clinical approach for clinicians who deliver LMS counseling. The aim of this 2-part series is to provide clinicians with guidance on applying MI strategies to evoke motivation for changing firearm storage practices. In part 1 of this series, we provide a rationale for considering an MI-based approach to facilitate secure firearm storage practices and briefly review the relational foundations of MI that are critical to successful MI-based interventions (ie, how we approach our patients). In part 2 of this work, we will discuss how MI technical strategies may be applied to LMS counseling to facilitate secure firearm storage practices.