Building Motivation: Supporting Mentee Behavior Change with Motivational Interviewing

Even when mentees set goals for positively changing their behaviors, they may be ambivalent about what change might mean to them. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a commonly used evidence-based approach to behavior change that trains mentors to be curious and supportive, eliciting and exploring their mentees’ own reasons for wanting to change certain behaviors. By asking open-ended questions and actively listening to their mentees’ responses, mentors using MI can help mentees clarify their values, identify areas where they would like to grow or change, and develop a plan of action to achieve their goals.

In this course, you’ll learn the basic skills necessary to help your mentees find the motivation within themselves to reach their goals. Through a series of engaging lectures, brief exercises, and example videos, learners will be introduced to the fundamental building blocks for supporting mentees’ growth. You’ll also learn what motivational interviewing (MI) is, why it’s a helpful set of skills for you to use with your mentees, and how you can use the OARS to motivate your mentee to thrive.

If you are working toward the SuperReady to Mentor Certificate and you have completed all four courses: (1) Building Strong Mentoring Relationships, (2) Supportive Accountability: Helping Your Mentee Reach Their Goals, (3) Building Motivation: Supporting Mentee Behavior Change with Motivational Interviewing, and (4) Managing Ethical Challenges in Mentoring, you can take the final exam to earn your certificate.

This course is taught by Alexandra Werntz, PhD, clinical psychologist.