Motivational Interviewing
The two-week dive into critical pedagogy inspired DIP seminarians to reflect on their relationships with students both in and outside of the classroom. Discussions seemed to circle back to mentorship.
In our roles as researchers, instructors, supervisors, and advisors, we may also act as a mentor. But mentoring is a challenging skill that is rarely addressed in the graduate curriculum. As we’ve all experienced, too much guidance can be stifling while too little guidance can leave our mentees feeling adrift. In these conversations, how do we support and guide our mentees while still giving them agency to direct their own learning and personal growth?
Putting the theory of Freirean pedagogy into practice, we dedicated two weeks to an exploration of Motivational Interviewing. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication to strengthen personal motivation and commitment to a specific goal within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. Developed for clinical therapy contexts, MI is applicable to many other contexts from doctors’ offices to customer support—including the mentor relationship. Arguably, Motivational Interviewing could be deployed as the core method of Freirean pedagogy, situating the instructor as a curious collaborator that supports students in identifying and meeting their own goals for growth and learning.
Discussions over these two weeks revolved around listening. Who listens to us? When do we feel listened to? How do we listen to others? What interferes with our ability to fully listen? Our seminar agendas for Week 1 and Week 2 can be viewed here.
Further Reading:
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed). Guilford Press.