What are effective strategies for teaching MI skills to your supervisees?

1 Assess their readiness

Before you start teaching MI skills, you need to assess your supervisees' readiness to learn and practice them. You can use the stages of change model to identify where they are in terms of their motivation, confidence, and competence. For example, some supervisees may be in the precontemplation stage, where they are not interested or aware of the benefits of MI. Others may be in the preparation or action stage, where they are willing and able to apply MI skills. Depending on their stage, you can tailor your teaching methods and feedback accordingly.

2 Use the spirit of MI

One of the best ways to teach MI skills is to use the spirit of MI yourself as a supervisor. The spirit of MI consists of four elements: partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation. Partnership means that you work with your supervisees as equals, rather than as experts or authorities. Acceptance means that you respect and value your supervisees' autonomy, strengths, and perspectives. Compassion means that you care about your supervisees' well-being and growth. Evocation means that you elicit and reinforce your supervisees' own reasons and resources for change. By using the spirit of MI, you can model and demonstrate the core principles and skills of MI, such as reflective listening, open-ended questions, affirmations, and summaries.

3 Provide opportunities for practice

Another effective strategy for teaching MI skills is to provide your supervisees with opportunities for practice and feedback. You can use various methods, such as role-playing, video recording, observation, or case discussion, to help your supervisees practice MI skills with real or simulated clients. You can also use tools, such as the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) or the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code (MISC), to assess and rate your supervisees' MI skills and provide them with specific and constructive feedback. You can also encourage your supervisees to self-evaluate and reflect on their own MI skills and areas for improvement.

4 Create a supportive learning environment

A final effective strategy for teaching MI skills is to create a supportive learning environment for your supervisees. You can do this by fostering a culture of curiosity, openness, and collaboration among your supervisees. You can also use strategies, such as motivational interviewing learning activities and games (MILAGs), to make the learning process more fun and interactive. You can also use supervision groups, peer mentoring, or online forums to create a network of support and learning for your supervisees. By creating a supportive learning environment, you can enhance your supervisees' engagement, confidence, and competence in MI skills.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?