A step forward in teaching addiction counselors how to supervise motivational interviewing using a clinical trials training approach.

A clinical trials training approach to supervision is a promising and empirically supported method for preparing addiction counselors to implement evidence-based behavioral treatments in community treatment programs. This supervision approach has three main components: (1) direct observation of treatment sessions; (2) structured performance feedback about counselors’ treatment adherence and competence; and (3) coaching to improve the ability of counselors to implement psychosocial treatments proficiently. This article describes how to teach addiction counselors this approach to supervision as it is applied to Motivational Interviewing (MI) using a clinical supervision procedure called Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA-STEP). MIA-STEP is one of the NIDA/SAMHSA Blending Team Products and was based on protocol CTN-0005 (“MI (Motivational Interviewing) to Improve Treatment Engagement and Outcome in Subjects Seeking Treatment for Substance Abuse”), which found that MI improved both client attendance and retention during the first four weeks of outpatient care. The authors describe teaching points and strategies instructors may use to develop supervisory skills in each of the three main supervision components (performance observation, feedback, and coaching), how to supervise in an MI consistent manner, recommended qualifications for supervising MI, and future directions for MI supervision research.

Related protocols: CTN-0005