Initial validation of the motivational interviewing measure of staff interaction

Many residential treatment programs train their staff in Motivational Interviewing (MI) to encourage that the MI "spirit" (collaboration, evocation, and autonomy/support) be used in interactions with clients by all staff members, not just primary counselors. Small nonprofit agencies may not be able to provide the taping, coding, and coaching that are recommended to best learn MI and need another method to evaluate skill acquisition. This study validated a measure of MI spirit, the MI Measure of Staff Interaction. Forty items measuring MI spirit were given to 227 clients at two residential treatment programs along with an already validated mea- sure of working alliance. Principal components analysis found 10 items measuring the three spirit factors. Concurrent validity was established through significant correlations between the scale, its factors, and the alliance measure. This scale may provide an alternative for program evaluation of agency atmosphere and staff interaction with clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)