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An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing: Helping at-risk students succeed Dorrie Unertl Academic Advisor, College of Letters & Science University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Code 637
An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing: Helping at-risk students succeed
Dorrie Unertl
Academic Advisor, College of Letters & Science
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Code 637
Today’s Objectives
• Understand what Motivational Interviewing is and how it came to be
• Understand the basic skills associated with MI
• Explore how advisors can use MI with our
students
• Ignite interest in future study of MI’s
application to advising
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Origins of MI
• William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick
– Psychologists with AODA, addiction background
• Clinical approach to helping patients prepare for change
• Evidence base largely in maladaptive behaviors
– Substance abuse, gambling, eating disorders,
violence, risky sexual practices, unsafe behaviors
related to chronic illnesses
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What is MI?
“a client-centered, directive method for
enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence”
Unpacking the key words:
• Client-centered
• Directive
• Intrinsic
• Ambivalence
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Miller and
Rollnick, 2002
What isn’t MI?
• Deficit worldview
• Stages of Change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Solution-Focused Therapy
• The decisional balance
• A trick
• A single tool
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Elements of MI
MI Spirit
Change Talk
MI Principles
OARS
(Skills)
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Rosengren, 2009
Principles of MI – RULE
• Resist the righting reflex
– Example: Bob Newhart and “stop it!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Et28kBi1A
• Understand your student’s motivation
• Listen to your student
• Empower your student
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Rosengren, 2009
Elements of MI
MI Spirit
Change Talk
MI Principles
OARS
(Skills)
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Rosengren, 2009
MI Skills - OARS
• Ask open-ended questions
• Affirm
• Listen reflectively
• Summarize
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Open vs. Closed Questions • How are you today?
– Tell me about your day so far.
• Are you in a relationship?
– Tell me about the important people in your life.
• Will you try this for one week?
– If you worked to try this for one week, how would you implement it?
• Did you do what you were supposed to do?
– How did you implement the changes we discussed?
• Are you willing to come back in a month?
– What will it take for you to come back and see me in a month?
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Affirmation
• You’ve worked hard to move forward in your education.
• It looks like you really care about your future.
• You’ve overcome a lot of hurdles.
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Nothing But Reflections • I am just not good at math.
– It sounds like you’re overwhelmed by this subject.
• I can do it if I just try.
– So you feel you have the aptitude to succeed.
• I don’t need to go to class. I just read the Powerpoint.
– From your perspective, attendance isn’t necessary.
• Its hard to understand my TA.
– You’re having trouble synthesizing the material because of a communication barrier.
• I used to be more motivated than I am now. Were you always motivated?
– So you’re feeling that you’ve lost your fire a little bit.
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Summarization
• Exactly what it sounds like!
• One of the easier and more natural skills in MI
• Big picture, key themes, your understanding of the situation
• Important to ask “Have I got that right?” for clarity’s sake
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Elements of MI
MI Spirit
Change Talk
MI Principles
OARS
(Skills)
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Rosengren, 2009
Eliciting Change Talk • What is change talk?
– Student speech that favors movement in the direction of
change.
• What isn’t change talk?
– Advisor speech that favors movement in the direction of
change.
• Change talk Commitment Behavior
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Rosengren, 2009
What does change talk look like? • DARN CAT
• Desire to change
• Ability to change
• Reasons to change
• Need to change
– Commitment
– Activation
– Taking steps
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How do I use change talk? • Use your EARS!
– Explore
– Affirm
– Reflect
– Summary
• Push forward using the OARS skills
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Elements of MI
MI Spirit
Change Talk
MI Principles
OARS
(Skills)
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Rosengren, 2009
Spirit of MI
• Collaboration
– Partnership between advisor & student
• Evocation
– Draw ideas, solutions from student
• Autonomy
– Leave decision-making up to the student
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Rosengren, 2009
MI in practice • Students in academic distress
– Struggling in first eight weeks
– On probation
– Suspended/dropped
• Students seeking entrance to limited enrollment
programs or professional school
• Major or career choice (Miller, 2008)
• Students in tutoring programs
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Struggles
• Using MI in an online environment
• TMI; drawing boundaries
• Using MI briefly in voluntary or walk-in advising
• Comfort with silence
• “Just tell me what to do.”
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Other ideas?
Questions?
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Contact Information
Dorrie Unertl
Academic Advisor, UW-Milwaukee College of Letters & Science
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References Brookfield, S.D. & Preskill, S. (2005). Discussion as a way of teaching:
Tools and techniques for democratic classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Miller, L.G. (2008). Using motivational interviewing for career and/or college major choice. Professional Issues in Counseling On-Line
Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2012 from http://www.shsu.edu/~piic/
Miller, W.R. & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people for change. New York, NY: Guilford.
Prochaska, J.O. & DiClemente, C.C. (1983). Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: Toward an integrative model of change. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51 (3), 390-395.
Rosengren, D.B. (2009). Building motivational interviewing skills: A practitioner workbook. New York, NY: Guilford.
www.motivationalinterview.org/
** Many thanks to Laura A. Saunders of UW-Madison, MINT member, for her MI training and assistance with this presentation.
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