Motivational Interviewing Training Research

Motivational Interviewing Training Research

Motivational Interviewing Training Research 2007-2010

Motivational Interviewing Training Research 2007-2010

Scales, R., Inlander, R., Miller, J. H., Akalan, C., Thome, D., Castaldi, P., Humphrey, R. (2010). An investigation of teaching methods to introduce motivational interviewing into a physical therapy school program. Physical Therapy Journal Online, Annual Conference Abstracts, 142-RR.

Scales, R., Inlander, R., Miller, J. H., Akalan, C., Thome, D., Castaldi, P., Humphrey, R. (2010). An investigation of teaching methods to introduce motivational interviewing into a physical therapy school program. Physical Therapy Journal Online, Annual Conference Abstracts, 142-RR.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a focused method of communication that has demonstrated success in improving the health behaviors of clinical populations. However, MI is not generally taught in health science school programs. This pilot study was designed to evaluate two methods of teaching motivational interviewing (MI) in a physical therapy (PT) school program. Fifty-four first and second year PT students (76% female) with no prior teaching in MI volunteered as participants in the study. The students were randomly assigned to receive 1.5-hours of classroom (N=25) or computer-based (N=29) teaching in MI. The content of the two interventions were standardized for consistency and focused on two of twelve topics that are typically taught in a standard two-day MI training workshop. The teaching methods in both groups were designed to be interactive and included a demonstration of MI. The classroom intervention was taught by two experienced MI trainers and the computer-based approach to teaching MI used multimedia technology in the form of a DVD prototype. A series of confidential questionnaires were used evaluate the teaching process and the impact on learning. Dependent and independent sample t-tests were used to determine the difference between pre and post-testing in both groups and also make a comparison between the groups. The students in both groups significantly improved self-evaluation scores of perceived proficiency in MI (p<0.05), attitude consistent with MI (p<0.05), intentions to use MI (p<0.05) and scores on a knowledge test (p<0.05). In addition, both groups gave a high rating for the extent to which the interventions helped the learner meet predetermined teaching objectives. There were no significant differences between groups on any of the outcome measures (p>0.05). The findings of this preliminary investigation show that it is feasible to teach MI in a PT school program. It is recommended that a computer-based program be developed to teach an entire course on MI and that it be compared with classroom teaching.


Scales, R., Miller, J. H., Tonrey, L. (2008). Motivational interviewing training for healthcare professionals from the Indian Health Service. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Abstract C031, 35: S118.

Scales, R., Miller, J. H., Tonrey, L. (2008). Motivational interviewing training for healthcare professionals from the Indian Health Service. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Abstract C031, 35: S118.

Motivational interviewing (MI) has demonstrated success in improving health behavior in clinical populations and MI training workshops are now more readily available to healthcare professionals (HCPs). In this investigation, the standard introductory training in MI was adapted to address a variety of unhealthful behaviors that are typically encountered in a Native American population. Two groups of HCPs from a southwestern region of the Indian Health Service completed participation in one of two 2-day MI training workshops that were conducted by two experienced trainers 6 months apart (Group 1, n=28; Group 2, n=23). The format and the content of the workshops were standardized for consistency. The HCPs had no previous MI training and they were given a series of pre and post questionnaires to evaluate the teaching process and the impact on learning. An analysis of the data identified a trend towards improvement in both groups after participation in the training workshops. Participants increased their perceived proficiency in MI from a mean score of 3.5 to 7.2 (Group 1) and 3.7 to 8.2 (Group 2) on a 0-10 scale and scored a mean score of 9.1 (Group 1) and 7.9 (Group 2) out of 10 in a knowledge test. The participants gave a mean rating of 8.9 (Group 1) and 8.0 (Group 2) on a 0-10 scale for the extent to which the training helped the learner meet predetermined workshop objectives. These findings suggest that it is feasible to standardize a MI training workshop to suit the needs of HCPs from the Indian Health Service.


Scales, R. (2007). Evaluating a motivational interviewing classroom teaching module in a physical therapy school program: A pilot study. Proceedings of a conference (Abstract 2435: pp 74). Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 30th Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

Scales, R. (2007). Evaluating a motivational interviewing classroom teaching module in a physical therapy school program: A pilot study. Proceedings of a conference (Abstract 2435: pp 74). Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 30th Annual Meeting, Washington D.C.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a unique style of communication that has demonstrated success in improving a wide range of health behaviors in a variety of clinical populations. Experienced trainers now offer workshops to learn MI and forward thinking health science programs provide MI training within the school curriculum. In this pilot study, the standard two-day MI training was adapted to provide a 6-hour introductory classroom teaching module for PT students attending the University of New Mexico. Sixteen students with no previous training were given a series of pre and post questionnaires to evaluate the teaching process and the impact on learning. An analysis of the data identified a trend towards improvement after participation in the teaching module. The students increased their perceived proficiency in MI from a mean score of 4.5 to 8.4 on a 0-10 scale and scored a mean score of 8.4 out of 10 in a knowledge test. The students gave a mean rating of 8.2 on a 0-10 scale for the extent to which the class helped the learner meet predetermined objectives. Additional student comments included recommendations to further develop the skills of MI by providing an opportunity to observe, practice and receive feedback on the application of the techniques by using PT scenarios and real patients.