“I’ve Been Afraid of Changing”: Using

Motivational Interviewing principles in academic

advising to promote positive student change�

Miranda Atkinson Career & Academic Adviser

School of Journalism & Communication University of Oregon

Outline

• Background and Context • Definition of MI

• Development of/theory behind MI • The spirit of MI

• Key areas of skill • Traps to avoid • Advising applications

• Important considerations

Background and Context •  My background •  M.Ed. in counseling •  Trained in MI as part of a smoking cessation research

program for University of Michigan

•  Motivational Interviewing •  Counseling theory/approach developed in 1991 by

William Miller and Stephen Rollnick

•  Designed to help clients change

•  Originally developed for counseling clients with substance abuse

•  Other appropriate applications have been developed.

Background and Context • Conception •  Retention and Outreach program

•  Used elements of Motivational Interviewing in individual conversations

•  Presence of “change language” indicated higher likelihood of improved grades

What is �Motivational Interviewing?

• A client-centered, directive approach for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence.

Development of and theory behind MI

•  The “dilemma of change”

•  ambivalence = feeling two ways about something

•  ambivalence is normal, getting “stuck” is the problem

•  “Ambivalence is a reasonable place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there” (Miller & Rollnick, 2002, p. 14).

•  lack of motivation = unresolved ambivalence

Ambivalence Illustration

Development of and theory behind MI

•  Types of ambivalence

•  Approach-approach conflict: choose between two similarly attractive options

•  Avoidance-avoidance conflict: choose between two negative options

•  Approach-avoidance conflict: attracted to and repelled by same option

•  Double approach-avoidance conflict: choose between two options, each with attractive and negative qualities

• We usually see double approach-avoidance, the most challenging to resolve.

Development of and Theory behind MI

•  Motivation has three critical components:

•  Ready: priorities

•  Willing: importance

•  Able: confidence

•  These components are intrinsic

•  Our goal is to help students become ready, willing, and able to change.

Development of and theory behind MI

Noticing motivation to change

• Listen for “change talk”

• Disadvantages of status-quo

• Advantages of change

• Optimism for change

• Intention to change

Example “I’ve been afraid of changing, ‘cause I’ve built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, children get older, I’m getting older too.”

What types of change talk did you hear?

Resistance

• You will also hear “resistance talk”

• “I’ve been afraid of changing, ‘cause I’ve built my life around you.”

• This is a reflection of ambivalence, which is a normal part of the change process.

The “Righting Reflex”

•  Avoid the “righting reflex”

•  Reflex to push someone in the “right” direction

•  “Have you considered...?”

•  “You should try...?”

•  “If you would just...?”

•  A physics lesson

What is �Motivational Interviewing?

• Re-examine the definition:

• Client-centered (student-centered)

• Directive approach

• Enhances intrinsic motivation to change

• Explores and resolves ambivalence

The Spirit of MI

•  Collaboration

•  Exploration and support vs. authoritarian coercive

•  Evocation

•  Elicit vs. impart information

•  Autonomy

•  Facilitate self-direction vs. telling client/student what to do

Key Areas of Skill

• Reflective listening

• Responding to change talk

• Responding to resistance

Reflective Listening

•  Reflect the core of the student’s statement back to him/her.

• Clarifies meaning

• Encourages continued exploration of issue

• Does not simply repeat the student’s words

Responding to Change Talk

• It is not possible to reflect all meanings of a statement.

• Reflect selectively by choosing to reflect change talk.

• This encourages the client/student to continue exploring change talk.

Responding to Resistance • Resistance is a reflection of ambivalence.

• Resistance rises from the client/counselor relationship.

• It is not fixed.

• Resistance is an indication of dissonance

• Client is not on the same page

• Roll with resistance to find the meaning behind it and move forward together.

The Phases of MI

•  The goal is to use these guiding principles to move clients through the phases of MI:

•  Building intrinsic motivation for change

•  Strengthening commitment to change and developing a plan to accomplish it

Tempting traps

• Q/A trap: avoid with open-ended questions and reflective listening

• Taking sides: avoid arguing one side of ambivalence

• Expert trap: avoid “fixing” or prescribing a solution

• Labeling trap: avoid attaching a diagnosis or label to the client

Student Populations and MI

•  What student populations might benefit from an MI approach?

•  Students struggling with academic performance

•  Students struggling with destructive behavior

•  Students struggling with a difficult decision

•  All students benefit from an open, non-judgmental student-advisor relationship.

Important Considerations

• MI’s popularity has resulted in confusion

• Not teaching how to practice, just basic underlying principles.

• Brief adaptations of MI are not = MI

• Advisers will not always have time for MI.

• Not all students are ready to change.

References

• Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change, (2nd ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

• Other resources: MI Website • http://www.motivationalinterview.org/

• Questions?