Motivational Interviewing

Investigators:

Terri Moyers

Kamilla Venner

The Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions is a leader in the training and dissemination of motivational interviewing. Our scientists conduct research in how motivational interviewing is learned by substance abuse professionals and how it can be adapted for use in other indigenous cultures. Dr. Moyer's research focuses on teaching motivational interviewing to frontline addictions counselors in public treatment settings. In addition, her research explores the contribution of the client's language during the treatment session, and how this might be related to its effectiveness. Dr. Venner's research aims to improve substance use outcomes for Native Americans by adapting MI in partnership with Native Americans and she is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of MI and the Community Reinforcement Approach on a Southwestern reservation. Dr Feldstein-Ewing's research is assessing the fit of MI to culturally diverse adolescents.

In addition to work of our individual scientists, the CASAA website features training materials for training MI in indigenous communities, and for behavioral coding systems which are used to document the fidelity of MI treatment and examine processes within MI sessions. All of these resources are available for download without charge on the CASAA website.