Motivational interviewing in social work

Semester 1 · 51114 · Bachelor in Social Work · 4CP · IT

The learning areas are those of counselling and correct perception of the needs of a client who turns to social service or educational professionals.
In addition, ethical issues concerning counselling are also covered.
The aim is to ensure that students have an adequate command of general scientific methods and content, and the course is also geared towards the acquisition of specific professional knowledge.

Professionals in the field of education and social work often offer educational and care counselling to a broad target group. The purposes of the counselling are indeed of a caring nature, but often also of a preventive nature, which is why it is important for future practitioners to acquire scientifically assessed knowledge to be applied as practice in the interviews in order to orient them to the real needs of the users, who are often characterised by ambivalent dynamics.

Motivational interviewing (CM) is a client-centred, oriented counselling concept to address and resolve a conflict of ambivalence in view of behaviour change. Furthermore, it is a collaborative style of conversation aimed at strengthening a person's motivation and commitment to change. That is why c.m. makes it easier for people working in education and social work to manage conversations especially in situations where at first the user seems unmotivated or resistant.

CM is a style of counselling that has been developed since the early 1980s in the field of addiction treatment in the UK and the USA. The basis of CM was a critical reading of the then dominant 'confrontational' style in the professional relationship with addicts.
CM was explicitly proposed as a reaction to this style of intervention, which was widespread in the field at that time and still persists in some settings today.

At present, CM represents an alternative proposal, based on a humanistic approach, which is supposed to enable operators to avoid the generation of communication blocks between client and operator, and to more easily build a client-centred relationship, even in subjects with low levels of motivation, capable of fostering an increase in motivation to change maladaptive behaviour and to decrease resistance.

Lecturers: Peter Koler

Teaching Hours: 24
Lab Hours: 0
Mandatory Attendance: In accordance with the regulation

Course Topics
- The basic concepts of motivational interviewing - Relational approaches to dealing with resistance - The models and theories of behaviour change - C.M. interview techniques

Teaching format
To achieve the objectives described above, apart from standard frontal teaching with the possibility of discussion during the lectures, a range of practical methods will be used to experiment with motivational interviewing techniques: brain storming, small group exercises, role playing, fish bowl, videos and plenary discussions.

Educational objectives
Disciplinary objectives are: To acquire competences and skills with respect to handling counselling interviews with ambivalent or resistant persons, who often turn to social and educational services. Furthermore, to acquire theoretical knowledge Disciplinary skills Knowledge and understanding Students know the basic theory and intervention strategies of motivational interviewing. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding Students know how to conduct a motivational style counselling interview using basic skills with ambivalent and/or resistant users. Autonomy of judgement Students are able to assess when and in what way it is useful and necessary to apply motivational interviewing. Communication skills Students are able to practise the basic skills of motivational interviewing: reflective listening, open questions, summarising, supporting, exchanging information and advice. They also know how to conduct change talk.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Students are able to transcribe and codify an interview, to verify the correct application and to improve through this technique and style.

Assessment
- Intermediate self-assessments through group work and plenary discussions (formative only) - Written - project work: a self-analysis according to the MITI criteria of an audio record of a motivational interview carried out by the students (1/30-24/30 or 80% of the total overall assesment) - supplementary oral interview to verify the reworking of the experience and course content (1/30-6/30 or 20% of the total overall assesment). Awarding a single final grade.

Evaluation criteria
Criteria for awarding the grade The following are considered and assessed for the written test: relevance, logical structure, clarity of argument, formal correctness. For the oral examination, the following are considered and assessed: relevance, clarity of argument, critical analysis, ability to re-elaboration, reflection.

Required readings

Miller W. R., Rollnick S., Motivational Interviewing, Fourth Edition: Helping People Change and Grow, 2023, Guilford press, New York
Miller W. R., Rollnick S., Motivierende Gesprächsführung, 2025, Lambertus, Freiburg im Breisgau
Miller W. R., Rollnick S., Il colloquio motivazionale, Aiutare le persone a cambiare, 2014, Edizione Erickson, Gardolo-Trento
Rollnick S., Mason P., Butler C., Cambiare stili di vita non salutari, 2003, Edizione Erickson, Gardolo Trento

Supplementary readings

Rollnick S., Miller W. R.. Butler C. C. (2008). Motivational Interviewing in Health Care. Guilford Press, New York – London
Miller W. R., Rollnick S. (2010). What makes it Motivational Interviewing? (Slides), ICMI Stockholm, June 2010
Matulich B., (2010). How to do Motivational Interviewing. A Guidebook for Beginners

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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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