Helping Students Choose their Own Adventure: An Advising Practitioners Approach to Utilizing Motivational Interviewing to Elicit Change

Amy Soto, MS Cara Wiley, MSBrigham Young University

What is Motivational Interviewing?

Definition:

“MI is a goal-oriented, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence.”(Miller & Rollnick, 2013)

Application for Advising

❖ What situations have you experienced with a student resisting change?

❖ What situations have you experienced with a student that wants to change but doesn’t know how?➢ Major Choice➢ Academic Success/Improvement➢ Life Decisions➢ Career Decisions

A TASTE OF MI - ACTIVITY● Pair Up● TAKE 1 -

○ Follow the cues on the Take 1 card■ Tell them how much they NEEDto make this change■ Give them a LIST OF REASONSfor doing so■ Emphasize the IMPORTANCE of changing■ Tell them HOW to do it■ Assure them that you CAN DO IT■ Exhort them to GET ON WITH IT

A TASTE OF MI - ACTIVITY Cont...

● TAKE 2 -○ Follow the cues on the Take 2 card

■ “WHY would you want to make this change?”■ “HOW might you go about it in order to succeed?”■ “What are the THREE BEST REASONSfor you to

do it?”■ “HOW IMPORTANT is it for you to make this

change, and why?”■ SUMMARIZE what they have said back to them■ “So what do you THINK YOU’LL DO?”

REACTIONS

How did you feel with Part 1 vs. Part 2?

Philosophy and Spirit of MIPhilosophy:1. Collaborate rather than prescribe2. Elicit rather than install3. Honor autonomy of the individual

● Not to force● Righting Response

Spirit of MI:

● Partnership● Acceptance● Compassion● Evocation

Overview

1. Responding to Change Talk (OARS)2. Evoking Skills (Sustain v Change Talk)3. Evoking Hope and Confidence (Confidence

Ruler, Reflections)

Category 1: Responding to Change talk

Open Ended Questions

Affirmations

Reflections

Summary Statements

Open Ended Questions

● Invites a person to think before answering with an explanation● Cannot be answered by yes or no or a simple answer

○ What brings you here today?

○ How has this problem affected your day to day life?

○ Where do you think this path you are on is leading you?

○ What do you most value in life right now?

○ How do you hope I might be able to help you?

○ Tell me more about….

(Miller & Rollnick, 2013)

Affirmations● To accentuate the positive – including individual’s worth, recognize

strengths, successes and efforts to change● To support, to encourage● Includes respect and empathy without judgement

○ You really tried hard this week

○ Your intention is good even though it didn’t turn out as you would have liked

○ Thank you for coming in today. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you…

○ Your courage when tackling these challenges is admirable.

Reflections● Most important skill in MI!!!● Goals: build empathy, encourage people to state own reasons for change,

affirming that the advisor understand what a student is feeling and doing.● If you guess wrong, the student will correct you.● Parroting

○ It sounds like…

○ It seems as if…

○ What I hear you saying…

○ I get the sense that…

○ Student: ” I’m so overwhelmed with my class. My teacher is really tough.”

○ Advisor: “Sounds like you are struggling with the subject matter.”

Summary Statements

● Multiple reflections that pull together what the student has said● This should be brief.

● Purpose:

○ Linking – Tie together different parts of the message

○ Collecting – Identify themes or patterns

○ Transitions – Review progress

○ Interrupt excessive rambling

(Cormier & Nurius, 2003)

OARS Example & Practice

Ineffective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsEZTWTkM7w

OARS Example & Practice

Effective - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URiKA7CKtfcYour Turn! Real Play – Groups of 3

OARS Activity

● Oreo activity○ White = Opened Ended Questions

○ Black/Brown = Reflections

Category 2: Evoking skills-Recognizing Change V. Sustain Talk

Change Talk:● I know I can do it● I should take better care of my health● Something has to changeSustain Talk (not changing):● I can’t do it● I’m not ready.● There’s no way I’m going to do that

Activity – Recognizing Change and Sustain Talk

1. It probably won’t work2. I should. . . ., but …3. I ca n h a n d le it4 . My b e st is g o o d e n o u g h5. If I d o n ’t re a ch t h a t g o a l, I’m

a fa ilu re6. Re g a rd le ss o f h o w I d o , I

ca n le a rn fro m it7. I’ll n e ve r d o t h is rig h t

8 . W h a t is t h e w o rst t h in g t h a t ca n h a p p e n ?

9. Eve ryt h in g d e p e n d s o n t h is10. I’m n o t g o o d e n o u g h11. On e t h in g a t a t im e12. I kn o w I n e e d t o ch a n g e

Category 3: Evoking Hope and Confidence & Planning ❏ Confidence Ruler

❏ Elicit-Provide-Elicit (EPE)❏ Evoking Questions How would you like things to be different? How would things be better if you

changed? What is the worst thing that could

happen? Do you remember a time in the past

when it went well? What was going on then?

Change v. Sustain & Evoking

Wrap Up- Review handout- How can you see yourselves using this

skill in academic advising?- Set a SMART goal- Any Questions?

References

● Cormier, S. & Nurius, P. S. (2003). Interviewing and change strategies for helpers (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

● Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.