Motivational Interviewing to Promote the Effectiveness of Selective Prevention: an Integrated School-Based Approach

Introduction to the Special Issue on Optimizing the Implementation and Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions Through Motivational Interviewing

“…This paper demonstrated the link between MI and proximal (i.e., parenting skills) and distal (i.e., child behavior) outcomes. Youth engagement was the focus in a school-based study, described in more detail later (Terry et al, 2021).…”

“…Finally, two studies focused on MI with targeted students within a multi-tiered prevention system of supports in schools. One study examined how MI could be leveraged to optimize youth engagement in and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) within a school setting (Terry et al, 2021). MI was utilized both individually and in group CBT sessions with students; this approach was found to be feasible and acceptable and resulted in relatively high levels of student engagement and positive student outcomes (Terry et al, 2021).…”

“…One study examined how MI could be leveraged to optimize youth engagement in and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) within a school setting (Terry et al, 2021). MI was utilized both individually and in group CBT sessions with students; this approach was found to be feasible and acceptable and resulted in relatively high levels of student engagement and positive student outcomes (Terry et al, 2021). Suldo et al (2021) developed an MI intervention for high school students taking accelerated courses but struggling academically or emotionally.…”

“…The current paper serves to introduce a special issue of Prevention Science, entitled Optimizing the Implementation and Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions through Motivational Interviewing. The purpose of this special issue is to fill these and other research gaps by answering several key questions, including (1) how to ensure positive impacts can be attained through appropriate training and supervision (see Frey et al, 2021) and the transportability of MI into real-world settings (Sibley et al, 2021;Small et al, 2021); (2) how MI can be used to create openness to training in and implementation of EBIs (Larson et al, 2021) and promote adult (Berkel et al, 2021) and youth (Terry et al, 2021) "client" engagement in EBIs; (3) empirically examining core MI principles (e.g., that motivation is dynamic, modifiable, and varies based on context and interpersonal relationships; Thompson et al, 2021) and mechanisms (e.g., how specific MI strategies or tools relate to outcomes; Berkel et al, 2021;Lee et al, 2021;Owens et al, 2021; associations between MI implementer and participant talk within contexts other than substance use counseling; Pas et al, 2021; and the indirect effects of MI interventions on distal outcomes through proximal outcomes; Stormshak et al, 2021); (4) measures of MI fidelity (Pas et al, 2021;Sibley et al, 2021;Small et al, 2021); and (5) adaptations and applications of MI among new populations, within new or understudied contexts, or for new target outcomes (e.g., Lee et al, 2021;Stormshak et al, 2021;Suldo et al, 2021;Terry et al, 2021).…”

Taking a Motivational Interviewing Approach to Prevention Science: Progress and Extensions

“…The papers focusing on applying MI methods with adolescents and young adults span the gamut of using MI to enhance engagement in an independent intervention, to developing an MI program for a growing and potentially vulnerable population of 9th graders, and to redesigning the development of a measure that could have relevance for MI approaches. Specifically, Terry et al ( 2021 ) used MI to boost engagement in a modular cognitive-behavior therapy program. Adolescents receiving the MI program showed increases in behavioral and emotional functioning, higher self-efficacy, and expectations to regulate behaviors and succeed at school.…”