1

2 What's New with TMIC?

4 Supporting MI Skill Development: Ten Tips to Consider by Ali Hall, JD

6 Coding Corner

7 How to become a member of the MINT

8 Implementation Station

10 Moving from Compliance to Behavior Change; Motivational

Interviewing in the Field of Corrections by Michael D. Clark, MSW

13 Evocative Questions

13 Exercise Swap

14 Our Agency's Approach to Implementing MI by Susan Orendac

Spring 2014/Vol.1, Issue 3

TEXAS MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING COOPERATIVE

A Quarterly Newsletter

Photo compliments of goodfon.com

TMIC is dedicated to promoting and facilitating education, assistance, support, and information with

the goal of enhancing the effective implementation of Motivational Interviewing within the

Texas Correctional Community

w

"The single biggest problem with

communication is the illusion that it has

taken place."

–George Bernard Shaw

CONTENTS

2

from 2009 until 2012. It was during that time I attended the first MITA at CMIT. It was

my second exposure to MI Training. I fell in love with MI all over again at that time. I

have since been promoted to a Programs Supervisor but I still train MI, Staff Safety, and

TRAS. I began implementing MI at my agency 12 months ago. I also have been able to

invite some staff from other departments to attend for free. I plan to continue to do

so. I have a great deal of fun training. If I could do it full time I would be the happiest

person on the planet! I am very ambitious and look forward to serving TMIC in any way

possible! Thanks for the nomination and selection to this position." -Katy Bliss

"I obtained a degree in Psychology from Purdue University. My first MI training

was in 2005 while living in Arizona working as a Mental Health case manager. I knew

immediately that this was something that could revolutionize the helping profession. I

became much more dedicated to the practice of MI when I began working as a Community

Supervision Officer/Motivational Interviewing Specialist for Jefferson County Community

Supervision and Corrections. I attended an MI Training for Trainers and MITI training by

Debby Westcott of Westcott Consultants in 2010. I became a member of the MINT in 2012

and currently serve on the Advisory Board of the TMIC as the MINT representative. I am

excited to be nominated for the Executive Board and look forward to serving the TMIC.

Thank you for your support! " -Julia Colyer

What's New with TMIC? NEW BOARD MEMBERS! At the February 3, 2014 TMIC meeting it was announced that Marcy Anthony would be resigning from her

position as the Chair of the Training Standards Committee on the Executive Board. Mrs. Anthony was

recently promoted to Chief of the Angelina County Adult Probation Department. Due to the overwhelming

amount of responsibility that the position involves, she was unable to continue to commit her time to the

board. Thank you, Mrs. Anthony, for your hard work and dedication, and congratulations on your new

position!

It was also announced that Rebecca Marquez will no longer be able to continue in her position as the Chair of

the Public Relations Committee on the Executive Board. She has agreed to continue as a member of TMIC

and has offered her assistance with future endeavors. Thank you, Mrs. Marquez for your time and

commitment!

Katy Bliss was nominated and voted in to serve as the Chair of the Training Standards Committee. She has

provided the following information regarding her qualifications and enthusiasm. Congratulations Mrs. Bliss

on the new board position!

"I have been happily married to my husband of 13 years and we have a 8 year old son and a 4 year old daughter.

I began my career in probation directly after graduating Texas State University (then SWT) in 2001. I was hired in 2001

by Caldwell, Comal, and Hays CSCD and have been there since. I have supervised all types of caseloads including direct,

intensive felony, sex offender and indirect. However, my favorite position with my agency was that of Training Officer

Katy Bliss

Julia Colyer was nominated to serve as the Chair of the Public Relations committee. She has provided the

following information regarding her qualifications and enthusiasm. Congratulations Ms. Colyer on the new

board position!

Julia Colyer

Photo

compliments

of

goodfon.com

3

THE WEBSITE HAS A NEW LOOK!

www.texasmicoop.com David Rowan has been working with Natalie Payne and Jennifer Sexton of SHSU to improve the website.

Their hard work and perseverance is apparent in the professional appearance of the website. Not only is it

informative, but it is user friendly. We are all proud to be represented in such a manner. Special thanks go out

to SHSU for all their hard work!

TMIC WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THE TEXAS PROBATION ASSOCIATION

CONFERENCE!

Texas Probation Association (TPA) has

graciously donated a table to allow TMIC to

reach other people who are passionate about

MI and to educate probation departments and

other criminal justice agencies throughout the

state on the TMIC mission. The table will be

at the Corpus Christi TPA Conference in

April 2014. Thank you TPA for you kind

support of our organization. Furthermore,

CMIT has purchased TMIC 150 water bottles

with the TMIC logo and website which will

be given away at the conference. Those TMIC

members that have volunteered or donated

will receive a TMIC t-shirt.

Tabs for easy

maneuvering!

Area for

people to post

upcoming

trainings or

training

needs!

Access to

TMIC bylaws! Forums

available for

discussion on

multiple

topics!

Links to MITI &

MISC

information!

Newsletter

available for

viewing!

4

Supporting MI Skill Development: Ten Tips to Consider By Ali Hall JD

Consultant, Trainer and MI Coach

www.alihalltraining.com

mi.consult.ahall@gmail.com

You’ve had some MI training, you’re back at work and things are going pretty well with your MI skills. Or,

you’re an MI coach and you are looking for ideas to explore with your learners. What are some ways to

continue learning, to support your coaching and your MI skill development?

Luckily, the client we’re working with is always the best barometer of whether what we’re doing is effective, if

it’s MI Adherent…or if it isn’t. Bill Miller, who described MI, is fond of saying that practicing MI is unlike

practicing piano on a silent keyboard. The client always provides us feedback, whether the keys we’ve touched

were effective at minimizing discord, for conveying understanding and collaboration, whether we were

effective at communicating MI Spirit, whether we were effective at eliciting and strengthening client change

talk. Let’s consider some client feedback that can give us some guidance in our coaching and MI skill

development:

10. “Yeah, but…” If we hear our client saying “yeah, but…” it may be a signal that we might be giving advice

without permission and/or providing solutions for the client that don’t fit, it’s a signal that there might be

some things about the status quo that are important for the client, that they may need more confidence to

change, that perhaps our ideas for them are not helpful, and possibly that we haven’t really listened to their

ideas first. Something to try: Elicit-Provide-Elicit. First, ask the client for their own insights, ideas and

solutions around the target behavior. Then, ask permission to offer some information. If the client gives

permission, you might say “in addition to the options you are considering, some people find that x, y and z are

useful.” Then, ask the client what they make of the options they’ve generated as well as the ones you may have

suggested, or what steps they may consider taking as a result of the discussion.

9. Reflections fall flat. If our reflections seem not to move the conversation forward effectively, perhaps we

are over-relying on simple reflections rather than trying out complex ones. Something to try: Practice

complexifying our reflections. Pause for a moment with a client, think “what does this person really mean?

What is underneath the words?” Let’s say the client says “I really want to get my finances in order, I’m tired

of relying on others.” Begin the reflection in our minds, “You mean that your independence is important to

you.” Then, we strike the prefatory words and the reflection becomes “your independence is important to you.”

Or, consider a reflection that contains a metaphor, such as “you really want to be in the driver’s seat around

your finances.”

8. Client on the defensive when we ask questions? Maybe we want to consider whether the tone or context

of our question expresses judgment. Or perhaps we are engaging in persistent fact-finding. Our clients are

more than just a collection of facts, and our questions will ideally be directed to learning their perspective and

ideas about change. And our judgments can be felt through our questions. If we ask “why haven’t

you followed through yet?” then we’ve asked the kind of question that takes us down the judger pathway,

which in turns encourages the client to take a status quo position, defending and justifying themselves.

Something to try: Follow the learner path. Ask instead a strength-focused, change-creating question, such as

“what are some of your reasons for change,” “what are your ideas or plans for following through on one of the

options you’ve considered?”, or “in what ways are you able to…”

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Photo compliments of Launchyourself.com

Photo compliments of

7. Nothing seems to change. The next time we see the client, things seem to be about the same. Are we

mining effectively for change talk? Something to try: Perhaps we can ask a key question or two at the end of

each session, such as “what steps will you take to learn more about your options between now and the next

time we meet?”, or “when do you see yourself getting started on your plan to exercise more?”, or “what first

steps will you take this week?”

6. Are they moving toward me...or away from me? If the person is moving away from me, do I consider this

a flashing yellow or red light? Something to try: Stop--or at least pause--and try to repair the conversation.

Convey that you are trying to understand and find a way to work together, that this is really about them and

what they feel is in their best interests. Re-align before forging ahead.

5. What did we decide to talk about? Establishing a mutually agreed agenda (and staying on it) is a

challenge, and there is also a timeliness to it. If we have engaged successfully, did we explore the person’s

priorities? Did we invite them to talk further in the session about a particular and identifiable thing of value to

them? Lest we get lost in the chat trap, or wander all over the place...Something to try: Once we have

engaged or re-engaged with the client, ask them about the principal areas of concern or interest they are

facing today, and then, of these where might we best spend our time. If we have some follow up or other

business to also cover with them, ask permission to spend a few minutes on those things too...once their

priorities feel well addressed.

4. What did they say? What did they mean? And did I show them

through reflections that I got it? Expressing empathy through both

simple and (especially) complex reflections may be the single most

important and helpful thing we can do with others. Something to try:

Ask ourselves in the conversation (and after), am I really getting it?

And I am showing my client through listening and understanding that

I am getting what they are saying, what they mean and what matters to

them.

3. Things are just going in circles...We may be doing some high

quality person centered listening, and that may provide the platform

the guide the conversation in a direction toward the person’s change possibilities. But, are we guiding toward

change? Something to try: Summarize what you have heard the client say, as well as what they mean. Use

one or more of the change talk evocation strategies, strengthen any change talk you hear and ask your client

for elaboration. You may find that you are now navigating the change currents. Another idea: make a

transcript of a conversation and study it for both what you are doing well to encourage change talk as well as

missed opportunities to recognize, elicit and reinforce change talk.

2. Well, my client talks about change...but never acts on it. Prefatory change talk is good stuff, yet not

entirely sufficient for sustainable action. Something to try: Reinforce the DARN, and ask for some CAT!

1. One Minute MI Check-Up. Integrating new skills can take conscious, intentional effort, as well as

awareness of efforts made. Something to try: Take a moment near the end of the work day to ask and

respond to a quick self-inventory. What MI skill did I use well today? What MI moment did I miss? What

skill or strategy will I make sure I use tomorrow? Certainly, it’s great to continue learning MI in formal

workshop settings, yet this isn’t always an easy option--or even the most efficient one--in our busy work lives.

6

C: Well, you know, I guess maybe my memory would get better. I see lapses in my memory that are probably as a result of the pot. I don’t know, it’s not like I have to remember that much stuff. I get by. T: So you right now you don’t have very much motivation. [COMPLEX RELECTION] C: Nothing besides going to jail. T: Well, I’m glad for now that you’re not going to be smoking [MIA; Affirming] and I’m really happy that you came today. C: Yeah, this wasn’t too bad. T: Well, I’m glad that you liked it. [NOT CODED]

Photo compliments of Crossthatoffyourlist.com

One of the principle benefits of MI is that it really is a “learning to learn” model. We can continue to grow and

learn in our practice when our eyes and ears are attuned to development opportunities. And every client

interaction provides a wealth of information, valuable feedback to support and encourage our effectiveness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ali Hall (JD) is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers

(MINT) and an independent consultant and trainer. She has designed and facilitated

over five hundred Motivational Interviewing (MI) workshops for behavioral health

clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, program administrators, educators, social and

child welfare workers, health care providers, health coaches, and criminal / juvenile

justice professionals, as well as training for trainers in evidence-based practices. She is

also a training associate for the Center for Strength-Based Strategies as well as the

University of California at Davis. She serves as a reviewer for the National Registry for Evidence-Based Practices and

Programs (NREPP). A California native, she spent her undergraduate years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and

completed graduate studies in organizational behavior at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell

University as well as her J.D. at the Cornell University School of Law.

The Coding Corner features an excerpt from a transcript provided by the University

of New Mexico Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA).

2650 Yale SE MSC-11-6280, Albuquerque, NM 87106 (505) 925-2300

www.casaa.unm.edu This is from MITI Coding: Transcript 2:

7

www.got-baggage.com

FEATURED TMIC MEMBER OF THE QUARTER

The Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) is accepting applications

this spring!

How to Become a Member of MINT How Do I Apply for Participation in the MINT TNT? The procedure Applications to participate in MINT sponsored TNTs are accepted electronically. About six months before the TNT workshop actually takes place, the application procedure opens. Announcements about opening of the procedure will be posted on the MINT website. Alternatively, those who have previously expressed their interest in applying to a TNT will receive an email announcing the opening of the application procedure. The electronic submission of an application is currently handled through the services of RegOnline (www.regonline.com). Login instructions will be provided to applicants as soon as the application procedure opens. Applications to participate in a TNT include two components: a written application and submission of a digitally recorded work sample exemplifying the applicant’s practice of MI that is coded for MI fidelity using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding system. An application fee is charged to each applicant, to defray the cost of having the applicant’s work sample MITI coded by a professional coder. In return for this fee, applicants receive written feedback on their work sample, including a MITI coding summary sheet and a narrative paragraph providing guidance as to both strengths and areas for further growth in MI practice. Details regarding submission of the work sample will be provided at the time of notification of the opening of applications. Applicants are expected to answer all questions in the written application and to supply 2 letters of reference from qualified colleagues who are experienced MI practitioners/trainers (preferably, members of MINT).Only when all questions are answered and the work sample has been received is the application is complete and eligible for review. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A confirmation of a completed application will be sent to the applicant. Complete applications will be further processed in the order received. As soon as the maximum capacity of the TNT workshop is reached the review process will stop and the application website will indicate that additional applications will not be accepted. To avoid disappointment, it is important to file a complete application as soon as possible after the opening of the application procedure. After 6 to 8 weeks, applicants will receive a notification about the outcome of the reviewing process. Results of the reviewing process are final and not open to appeal. The team of reviewers will do its best to give further suggestions to unsuccessful applicants, so as to guide them toward improving any future application. From http://www.motivationalinterviewing.org

Mark M. Asteris Jr. obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal

Justice in 1989 from Lamar University. He began his career in 1993 as a

juvenile probation officer while working on his Master of Education in

Counseling and Development, which he obtained in 1995. In 2006 he

became a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Sex Offender

Treatment Provider. In 2011, he joined the Motivational Interviewing

Network of Trainers (MINT) after completing Motivational Interviewing

training in Sheffield, England. Mark obtained his Doctorate of Education

from Lamar University in 2012. He currently serves on the Executive Board

of the TMIC as the Chair of the Strategic Models Committee. He is

employed at Jefferson County Adult Probation, and he provides individual

and group therapy for adults and adolescents dealing with a variety of

issues through New Path Counseling Group.

Mark M. Asteris

Jr.

8

Featuring Jefferson County Adult Community

Supervision and Corrections Department By Julia Colyer

Jefferson County is a county located in southeast Texas. It was named after the U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson. Its county seat is Beaumont, Texas and it consists of the towns of Port Arthur, Nederland, Port Neches, Groves, China, Nome, Bevil Oaks, and Taylor Landing. The county has a total area of 1,113 square miles and as of the 2010 census, the population was 252,273. The Jefferson County Community Supervision and Corrections Department consists of thirty-eight (38) certified Community Supervision Officers and one hundred and three (103) employees overall. On March 1, 2014, the Department was supervising 5,445 adult probationers.

1. How was the idea of implementing MI first introduced to your Department?

In 2009 our department was in the early stages of implementing Evidence Based Practices. Motivational Interviewing was one of the concepts being discussed and advocated by Dr. Mark Asteris, a Community Supervision Officer for the Department and Mrs. Cindy Cherry, Supervisor of the Jefferson County Drug Intervention (JCDI) Program a drug court program. Even despite the growing popularity of Motivational Interviewing at the time, there were few individuals in southeast Texas that were skilled MI practitioners. Four (4) officers (myself, Dr. Mark Asteris, Ms. Tish Jones, and Mrs. Michelle Buckalew) took it upon ourselves to learn the skills by working through David Rosengren's workbook, "Building Motivational Interviewing Skills." We met on a weekly basis to discuss the workbook exercises and our experiences in applying the skills we had learned after each chapter. Through the collaborative spirit of Susan Orendac, who at the time was the Training Director for Harris County Adult Probation, we were extended opportunities to attend Motivational Interviewing Training for Trainers, and MITI coding training facilitated by Debbie Westcott of Westcott Consulting out of Los Angeles, California. In 2010 after obtaining our skills, we returned to our Department and initiated a pilot project involving twelve individuals. These individuals were provided a three day basic MI training. Individuals were then randomly selected to participate in one of four trial groups over a one year period. Group one had no intervention after the training but were required to submit an audio sample every three months for assessment using the Motivational Interviewing Training Integrity (MITI 3.1.1) assessment. Group two was required to attend weekly learning groups and submit audio samples every three months. Group three was required to submit audio samples each month and received coaching and feedback. Group four was required to attend learning groups and submit audio samples for coaching and feedback each month. The project determined that individuals benefited most from submitting audio tapes with coaching and feedback. Group one, who received virtually no follow up after the training, for the most part had little recollection of MI skills after a six (6) month or more period.

2. Briefly, what is your current implementation plan (i.e. how are you having people learn)?

We learned a lot based on the pilot project. We learned that the more interaction after the training, the better. Furthermore, without some type of intervention after the training, whether it was learning groups or MITT

9

If you would like to feature your Department's implementation plan in Implementation Station, please contact Julia

Colyer at jcolyer@co.jefferson.tx.us.

assessments, retention of even basic MI concepts was negligible after six (6) to eight (8) months. Our conclusion was that learning occurs through practice and not through lecture. We devised a proposal which outlined the training process. The goal was to implement MI in the entire department. First we decided that the implementation goal would be for at least fifty percent (50%) of all officers to reach proficiency (score above a 4.0 on spirit globals while maintaining a 2:1 reflection-question ratio) in accordance with the MITI 3.1.1. It was determined that entire units would be trained at one time, focusing an eight (8) to twelve (12) month time period on each unit. Participants attended a two (2) day training that presented basic MI skills. The training was conducted by me, Dr. Asteris, and Ms. Tish Jones. After the training, participants were assigned a mentor who was competent at MI. Participants were offered the opportunity to attend learning groups, submit audio samples, observe their mentors, or be observed by their mentors during routine office visits. Furthermore, books, video tapes, and other reference materials were provided upon request. Participants were told that the Department required a taped submission to determine proficiency after a six (6) month period. 3. What is the Department's goal in terms of MI implementation?

It is the Department's goal that officers have the knowledge to utilize Motivational Interviewing as a method of motivating offenders to address their criminogenic needs, whether through cognitive-based programs or other conventional means in order to reduce recidivism. 4. Looking back so far, what are some things you wish you would have done different?

I wish we could have somehow connected MI proficiency to a reward, rather than making it a Departmental requirement. It would have been ideal if there could have been some type of bonus to officers that reached MI proficiency. Administratively, this posed a number of problems and could not be implemented at the time. However, the Department was generous in many other ways in terms of their support. 5. What are some things that you have done that you believe worked out well?

An important aspect of our training process was to model the spirit of Motivational Interviewing by offering participants autonomy. The goal was set: Participants were told that it was a requirement of their employment to show management that they were capable of utilizing MI skills by submitting an audio sample that would be proficient in terms of the MITI 3.1.1 assessment. How they were to reach that goal was entirely left to the discretion of the officer. Some officers chose to utilize mentors and learning groups. Other officers did not feel it was necessary to attend such interventions. Participants were given the freedom to learn in the manner they wished to learn. Learning groups were not made mandatory; rather participants attended learning groups in the hopes of enhancing their skills to pass the assessment. 6. What advice might you give to other departments considering

MI implementation?

When implementing MI in your Department, remember to model the spirit. Utilize MI skills to motivate officers to use MI. It is essential to utilize the MI concepts when trying to promote MI, in every way possible. Otherwise, just as in any other situation, you will likely manifest resistance and discord. We were very fortunate to have the support of our Chief, Jim Stott; the Assistant Chief, Jerry Johnson; and the entire management team. Without their support, this endeavor would not have been possible.

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Photo compliments of Thebluereview.org

Moving from Compliance to Behavior Change: Motivational Interviewing

and the Field of Corrections By Michael D. Clark, MSW

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an approach

that is gaining notice and popularity across the

field of corrections as it help supervising

officers with their mission to assist behavior

change. As the name suggests, MI is a method

for interviewing clients. However, many who

become skilled in its use would argue that it’s

more than an interviewing method—it informs and influences direct practice efforts as well. MI first gained

prominence in the substance abuse field in the 1980s and found favor in both health care and addiction science due

to its ability to enhance client engagement and retention in treatment.

Moving beyond traditional fields of client treatment, disciplines that work with court-mandated clients are turning

to MI as well. Motivational Interviewing has been embraced by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the

National Institute of Corrections for its ability to lessen resistance and increase offender motivation.1 MI gained a

foothold in probation departments in the 1990s, and the use of this approach has been expanding ever since. The

answer to why community-based and facility personnel would turn to the strategies and skill sets of Motivational

Interviewing can be found when one reviews several definitions of this approach. The formal definition of MI is

listed as:

“Motivational interviewing is a person-centered, directive method of communication for enhancing intrinsic

motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence.”2

Consider two more definitions, in simpler terms:

• It’s a way of using questions and statements strategically to help people think and talk in a positive direction.

• It’s an easy way of helping people find their own reasons for change.

Beyond a method for interviewing, MI offers direction to the field of Community Corrections in order to answer a

critical set of questions:

• How do people change?

• How can staff assist offenders to engage in important alterations in their behavior?

• How can staff lend assistance for enduring behavior change— the type of “self-propelled” change that continues

long after the person has been dismissed from court jurisdiction?

It is in the answers to these all-important questions that the utility of an MI approach will be found. Many turn to

MI because it represents an investigation into the conditions that build cooperation and increase human

motivation, and has been successful in teaching court personnel how to best assist those under supervision towards

positive behavior change.

Why would Correction departments want to implement Motivational Interviewing?

1. Motivational Interviewing provides a structured and proven method for assisting behavior change.

Go back beyond the last two decades and you’ll find that criminal justice suffered from a lack of proven methods

for reducing recidivism.3 Today, it is almost unimaginable that our field ever operated without practice methods

being studied and empirically validated through rigorous science. Science-based methods for corrections work

were a focus of the National Institute of Corrections’ “Evidence-Based Policy and Practice” Initiative,4 which

included MI among the eight principles of effective interventions shown to reduce the risk of recidivism. Within

these eight principles, the second principle of evidence-based practice cites:

“Enhance Intrinsic Motivation—Research strongly suggests that ‘motivational interviewing’ techniques, rather

than persuasion tactics, effectively enhance motivation for initiating and maintaining behavior change.” (p.1) The

Photo compliments of witnessla.com

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Photo compliments of design.wordpress.com

Photo compliments of design.wordpress.com

NIC article lends substance to that recommendation by reviewing possible benefits offered to correctional

departments from the integration of motivational strategies into court services.

2. MI can help staff get “back into the game” of behavior change.

Historically, motivation has been viewed as a more-or-less fixed characteristic of clients. That is, an offender is

usually presented with a certain motivational “profile,” and until he/she was ready to make changes there was not

much you could do to influence shifts in behavior. Under this model, the supervising officer becomes an enforcer of

the court’s orders, but not necessarily an active participant in the offender’s behavior change. Motivational

Interviewing teaches justice staff that motivation is not a fixed trait—something you either have or you don’t.

Instead, motivation is more akin to a “state” and a state that can be influenced.

3. MI suggests effective tools for handling

resistance and can keep difficult situations from

getting worse.

Since motivation has been viewed more like a fixed

trait of the defendant, it has been thought that if

person’s enter probation departments displaying

little motivation, then the best strategy is to attempt

to break through their denial, rationalization, and

excuses:

• “You’ve got a problem.”

• “You have to change.”

• “You’d better change your ways, or else!”

Space prohibits a review of the many studies that have found that a confrontational counseling style limits

effectiveness. One such study,5 however, found that a directive-confrontational counselor style produced twice the

resistance, and only half as many positive client behaviors as did a supportive, client-centered approach. Problems

are compounded as a confrontational style not only pushes success away, but can actually make matters worse.

Although many probation staff rightly object, “We’re not counselors!—our job is to enforce the orders of the court

(maintain facility safety),” this claim only serves to highlight the need for strategies to help staff get back in the

game of behavior change.

4. MI keeps officers from doing all the work, and makes interactions more change-focused.

A. Interactions are more change-focused when the officer understands where change comes from.

Staff trained in Motivational Interviewing can turn away from a confrontational style or logic-based approach as

they learn about the process of behavior change. Many in probation believe that what causes change are the

services provided to the offender, whether that involves treatment, the threat of punishment, advice, education, or

monitoring their activities. These conditions and services represent only part of the picture—and not necessarily

the most important part. Research shows that long-term change is more likely to occur for intrinsic reasons.6 Often

the things that we assume would be motivating to the offender simply aren’t. Thus, motivation is, in part, a process

of finding out what things are valued and reinforcing to the individual under supervision.

B. Change-focused interactions place the responsibility for behavior change on the offender.

During MI training, we use an attractive (and accurate) phrase: “When Motivational Interviewing is done

correctly, it is the offender who voices the arguments for change.” The first step in getting the individual thinking

and talking about change is by staff establishing an empathic and collaborative relationship, which includes

watching and listening to find out what the person values and if his or her current behavior is in conflict with these

deeply held values.

12

Motivational Interviewing calls our attention to this key idea:

It is discrepancy that underlies the perceived importance of change: no discrepancy, no motivation. The discrepancy is generally

between present status and a desired goal, between what is happening and how one would want things to be (one’s goals).

It is within this discrepancy that the material will be found for amplifying the defendant’s own reasons for change.

When working with offenders who see no problem with their illegal behavior, it is essential that an officer have the

skills to create an “appetite” for change. Creating this appetite for change involves creating ambivalence.

5. Motivational Interviewing will change who does the talking.

Motivational Interviewing techniques focus on strategically steering a conversation in a particular direction—yet

steering in itself is worthless without the ability to move the conversation forward. Consider how probation

officers often work much harder than their probationers. As part of a qualitative research project, Clark7

videotaped actual office appointments between probationers and their assigned supervising officers. The finding

was that, in office visits averaging 15 minutes in length, officers “out-talk” their probationers by a large margin.

For instance, in one session, 2,768 words were spoken between officer and offender. The breakdown? The officer

spoke a hefty 2,087 words out of this total while the probationer spoke only 681 words. Although listening by itself

is no guarantee of behavior change, using strategies to get the person talking is a prerequisite to being an effective

motivational interviewer.

In interactions like this, officers are literally talking themselves out of effectiveness. The problem is not so much

that the officer is doing all the talking, but rather that the offender is not. It stands to reason that the more the officer

is talking, the less opportunity there is for the person-under-supervision to talk and think about change.

Compliance can occur without the officer listening and the offender feeling understood—the same cannot be said if

one wants to induce behavior change.

POSTSCRIPT

Motivational Interviewing can enable community corrections to help clients build commitment and reach a

decision to change. Rather than remaining “stuck” in the problem, court staff using Motivational Interviewing

techniques can move those we work with toward healthier outcomes.

END NOTES

1 National Institute of Corrections. (2003). Implementing evidence-based practice in community corrections: The principles of effective

intervention. Washington, DC: Author.

2 Miller, William R., & Rollnick, Stephen. (2002). Motivational Interviewing:

Preparing people for change. New York: Guilford Press, p. 25.

3 Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2003). The psychology of criminal conduct

(3rd ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing Co.

4 Supra note 1.

5 Miller, William, R., Benefi eld, R. G., & Tonnigan, J. S. (1993). Enhancing motivation for change in problem drinking: A

controlled comparison of two therapist styles. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 455-461.

6 Deci, Edward. L., & Ryan, Richard. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

7 Clark, Michael D. (2005). Qualitative review of probation officer/offender dialogues: Transcript word counts for “talk-time” ratios.

Unpublished study. Center for Strength-Based Strategies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael D. Clark, MSW, is a member of the MINT and has provided train-the-trainer initiatives for

Motivational Interviewing to Department of Corrections in various states across the USA and has

presented this topic as an invited guest lecturer to the XII United Nations Congress on Crime

Prevention and Criminal Justice when it last convened in Salvador, Brazil . Michael now has twenty

(20) Web-Based Courses in Motivational Interviewing (MI-20) and companion resource workbooks to

convene small skill-building groups for each web course. He can be reached at (email)

buildmotivation@aol.com;

(website) www.buildmotivation.com (phone) 517-244-0654

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In Dr. Miller's book, Motivational Interviewing Third Edition, Dr. Miller introduces the new MI concept of Compassion. So we decided to ask people to tell us what "compassion" means to them in one sentence. Here were their responses:

"Compassion is having empathy and care towards someone or something with desire to be helpful." -James Olalekan, Harris County Juvenile Probation

"Doing an act, showing from the heart, within, with a desire, making one feel good for what they did." -Rick Morales, Nueces County Adult Probation

"I'd say that to me compassion, while possibly touching on feelings or emotion, is not an emotion, but an intention. It is the intent to help someone who is struggling or suffering, and to help them sort through that struggle. The 3rd edition of MI speaks to promoting the welfare of another and giving priority to their personal needs. In juvenile justice, the Texas Family Code mandates those in the system to look out for the best interest of the child. In short, that is what I think compassion is about - looking out for the best interest of another." -Greg Sumpter, Tarrant County Juvenile Probation

"Expressing empathy." -Ken Suitt, Jefferson County Adult Probation

"I see compassion as an action that someone takes when someone else is suffering and effort is made to lessen that pain through comfort of some kind." -David Rowan, Lubbock County Adult Probation

"The emotion we feel in response to the misfortune of another that motivates a desire to help." -Susan Orendac, Harris County Juvenile Probation

"Compassion is having a good heart, good intentions, and wanting to see others flourish in the same way we ourselves would like to flourish." -Julia Colyer, Jefferson County Adult Probation

“The most important thing in communication

is to hear what isn't being said.”

― Peter Drucker

iPod Exercise This exercise is meant to help training participants practice not only how to reflect, but it challenges participants to reflect more deeply. Music is a medium that most people can relate to intense emotion. Simply use song lyrics by placing them on a PowerPoint and ask participant's to offer a reflection in response to the lyric. Lyrics are often ambiguous in nature, and by that virtue it challenges the participants to think more abstractly, and to step outside of their safety zone in an effort to empathize with the singer/songwriter. TIP: Use lyrics that are related to drug use, family, or gangs: Actual topics that may come up in conversation. WITH A TWIST: Have training participants come up with the name of the song and/or singer just for added interest.

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One Agency's Approach to Implementing Motivational Interviewing: By Susan Orendac

In 2013, Harris County Juvenile Probation began an agency wide implementation of Motivational

Interviewing, a widely researched evidence based practice model for building intrinsic motivation toward

change. Two full-time Motivational Interviewing Specialists, former graduates of the Motivational

Interviewing Academy (MITA) at CMIT, were hired in June of 2013. Overseeing the MI Specialist and MI

implementation is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). The MI

Specialists deliver classroom training followed by an intensive training progression model. Upon completion

of classroom training, trainee cohorts submit monthly audio tapes once per month for the first 90 days before

returning to a one day booster session. Trainees who meet beginner proficiency, per the Motivational

Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) 3.1.1. (a behavioral coding system) progress to quarterly tapes for a

period of one year. Upon the conclusion of the quarterly phase, trainees who have maintained proficiency will

progress to the “maintenance phase,” which will consist of 1 audio tape every 6 months for the duration of

employment at HCJPD. During the Quarterly Progression or Maintenance Phase, if a trainee regresses below

beginner proficiency, they are scheduled for 4 hours of skill building and returned to monthly audio tape

submissions. The MI Specialists provide individual coding feedback at the trainees' work location. Utilizing a

written MITI summary sheet, identified discussion areas within the audio tape, and role plays, the MI

specialist assists the trainee in skill development by providing individual coaching sessions. MI Specialists

provide each trainee a copy of the MITI Summary Sheet which includes a detailed explanation of their

evocation, collaboration, autonomy/support, empathy, and direction based on their audio tape, as well as

Susan Orendac and Motivational Interviewing Training Academy (MITA) participants

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behavior counts. Additionally, trainees receive a copy of coaching notes provided by the MI Specialists that

included time-stamped breakdown of their session. The duration of the MI Coaching Feedback session

averages 30-60 minutes allowing time for skill building & role play practice. Together the MI Specialist and

the trainee review the audio tape and utilize the coaching notes as points of reference. During the audio

review the trainee and MI Specialists discuss specific areas that might need improvement as well as review

goals for the next target tape. *Note, coded audio tapes are not a critique of the trainee during the learning

stage. Research supports the theory that the vast majority of MI learning takes place outside the classroom

through coding and coaching feedback.

Our Chief, Tom Brooks, is committed to the implementation of Motivational Interviewing at Harris County

Juvenile Probation, and has continued to provide on-going support through his written and verbal

communication to the agency.

Without a doubt, there are multiple ways to implement Motivational Interviewing. This model is just one

variation. Commitment from “The Top”, organizational readiness, and allocation of staff resources all play a

vital role in the successful implementation of Motivational Interviewing. Best Wishes!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Orendac is an Assistant Deputy Director with Harris County Juvenile Probation and has over two and a half decades of experience in the

field of Community Corrections. In her current position, Susan serves as the Director of Training, Accreditation, Quality Assurance, Behavior

Support Team, and the Motivational Interviewing Specialty Team. Previously employed with Harris County CSCD for 27 years, Susan has

experience in the areas of court, domestic violence, mental health, assessments, program evaluation and gender responsive supervision. During her

tenure at the CSCD, Susan served in various capacities including Assistant Director of the Peden Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF)

and was responsible for assisting in the initial development and oversight of the Women Helping Ourselves (WHO) residential treatment

program. Just prior to joining Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, Susan was responsible for oversight of the Staff Development

Unit at the HCCSCD. Susan is a National Institute of Corrections Certified Trainer, a National Curriculum and Training Institute Certified

Trainer, Thinking For a Change Trainer and a member of the International Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). She has

been involved in Motivational Interviewing for several years and has collaborated training initiatives with several counties across the state.

Susan currently serves on the Texas Corrections Association Board of Directors and is a former Regional Field Coordinator for the National

Institute of Corrections (Southern District), and is an active member of the Texas Probation Association. Susan is one of the founders of the

Motivational Interviewing Training Academy (MITA) at CMIT and continues to serve as one of the featured trainers for MITA. Susan is also

a member of the Texas Motivational Interviewing Cooperative (TMIC). Additionally, she is the owner of Motivational Interviewing Training

Academy.com and is an independent contractor for Noble Software Group. In her spare time, she enjoys coordinating professional conferences, deer

hunting and salt-water fishing. She is a proud mom to Chance (16) and Layne (13).

If you would like to submit your own article or have ideas for an article that you would like to see published, please contact Julia Colyer at jcolyer@co.jefferson.tx.us. The editor of this newsletter retains all rights to screen articles for inappropriate or unnecessary content. The editor retains the right to make grammatical and formatting changes to any article as long as it does not change the overall content of the article. Photos used in this newsletter were obtained from a free public domain or from the original photographer with consent, and their origin was cited when possible. Thank you for reading!

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To:

Edited by Julia Colyer

A Light-hearted Look at MI

MI

Special Thanks to the

following people that made

this newsletter possible

through their contributions:

Greg Sumpter

James Olalekan

David Rowan

Katy Bliss

Mark Asteris

Ali Hall

Michael D. Clark

Susan Orendac

Ken Suitt

Jim Stott

Jerry Johnson

Created and drawn by Julia Colyer

MI