The Effectiveness and Cost of Clinical Supervision for Motivational Interviewing: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The effectiveness of a competency-based supervision approach called Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency (MIA: STEP) was compared to supervision-as-usual (SAU) for increasing clinicians' motivational interviewing (MI) adherence and competence and client retention and primary substance abstinence in a multisite hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial. Participants were 66 clinicians and 450 clients within one of eleven outpatient substance abuse programs. An independent evaluation of audio recorded supervision sessions indicated that MIA: STEP and SAU were highly and comparably discriminable across sites. While clinicians in both supervision conditions improved their MI performance, clinician supervised with MIA: STEP, compared to those in SAU, showed significantly greater increases in the competency in which they used fundamental and advanced MI strategies when using MI across seven intakes through a 16-week follow-up. There were no retention or substance use differences among the clients seen by clinicians in MIA: STEP or SAU. MIA: STEP was substantially more expensive to deliver than SAU. Innovative alternatives to resource-intensive competency-based supervision approaches such as MIA: STEP are needed to promote the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Correspondence of motivational interviewing adherence and competence ratings in real and role-played client sessions.

Treatment integrity ratings (adherence and competence) are frequently used as outcome measures in clinician training studies, drawn from recorded real client or role-played client sessions. However, it is unknown whether clinician adherence and competence are similar in real client and role-played sessions or whether real and role-play clients provide similar opportunities for skill demonstration. In this study, we examined the correspondence of treatment adherence and competence ratings obtained in real client and role-played sessions for 91 clinicians trained in motivational interviewing (MI), using data from a multisite trial examining 3 methods of clinician training (Martino et al., 2011). Results indicated overall poor integrity rating correspondence across the 2 session types, as indicated by weak correlations (rs=.05-.27). Clinicians were rated significantly more MI adherent overall and specifically used more advanced MI strategies in role-played than real client sessions at several assessment time points (ds=0.36, 0.42). Real clients, in comparison to the role-play actor, demonstrated greater motivation at the beginning of the session (d=1.09), discussion of unrelated topics (d=0.70), and alliance with the clinician (d=0.72). These findings suggest that MI integrity rating data obtained from real client and role-played sessions may not be interchangeable. More research is needed to improve the procedures and psychometric strength of treatment integrity assessment based on role-played sessions.

Cost and cost-effectiveness of three strategies for training clinicians in motivational interviewing.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost and cost-effectiveness of three strategies for teaching community program clinicians motivational interviewing (MI): self-study (SS), expert-led (EX), and train-the-trainer (TT). METHODS: This economic analysis was conducted as part of a three-arm clinician training trial comprising 12 community treatment programs randomly assigned to the three conditions (n=92 clinician participants). EX and TT conditions used skill-building workshops and three monthly supervision sessions. SS provided clinicians MI training materials only. The primary outcome measure was the number of clinicians meeting MI performance standards at 12-week follow-up. Unit costs were obtained via surveys administered at the 12 participating programs. Resource utilizations and clinician outcomes were obtained from the training trial. Costs and outcomes were normalized to account for differing numbers of clinicians across programs and conditions. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were used to evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of the three training strategies. RESULTS: SS is likely to be the most cost-effective training strategy if the threshold value to decision makers of an additional clinician meeting MI performance standards at 12-week follow-up is less than approximately $2870, and EX is likely to be the most cost-effective strategy when the threshold value is greater than approximately $2870. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides accurate estimates of the economic costs and relative cost-effectiveness of three different strategies for training community program clinicians in motivational interviewing and should be of interest to decision makers seeking to implement empirically supported addiction treatments with scarce resources.

A criterion-based stepwise approach for training counselors in motivational interviewing.

This pilot study evaluated a criterion-based stepwise approach for training counselors in motivational interviewing (MI). Three sequential steps of training in MI were provided to 26 counselors who worked within the U.S. State of Connecticut Veterans Administration addiction treatment programs: a distance learning Web course (Step 1), a skill-building workshop (Step 2), and a competency-based individual supervision (Step 3). Counselors first participated in the course and then only received the next step of training if they failed to meet an independently rated criterion level of adequate MI performance. The results showed that counselors who showed inadequate MI performance immediately after taking the Web course and who subsequently participated in a workshop or supervision improved their adherence to fundamental MI strategies over time, whereas those who performed MI adequately following the Web course continued to demonstrate similar levels of fundamental and advanced MI adherence and competence over a 24-week period without additional training. The pilot study's findings, although preliminary, suggest that different counselors likely require different types and amounts of training to perform a behavioral treatment well.

Teaching community program clinicians motivational interviewing using expert and train-the-trainer strategies.

AIMS: The effectiveness of expert-led (EX) and train-the-trainer (TT) strategies was compared to a self-study approach (SS) for teaching clinicians motivational interviewing (MI). DESIGN: Twelve community treatment programs were assigned randomly to the three conditions. EX and TT conditions used skill-building workshops and three monthly supervision sessions guided by treatment integrity ratings, performance feedback and coaching techniques. Trainers in TT were first trained and certified in MI and then prepared carefully to deliver the workshops and supervise MI at their programs. Clinicians in SS only received the training materials. SETTING: Licensed out-patient and residential addiction and mental health treatment programs in the US state of Connecticut were involved in the study. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-two clinicians who provided addiction treatment within these programs and had limited experience with MI participated in the study. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes were the clinicians' MI adherence and competence and the percentage of clinicians meeting clinical trial standards of MI performance. Assessments occurred at baseline, post-workshop, post-supervision and at 12-week follow-up. FINDINGS: The study found EX and TT, in comparison to SS, improved clinicians' adherence and competence significantly, with higher percentages of clinicians reaching clinical trial standards of MI performance and few differences between EX and TT. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the combined use of workshops and supervision to teach community program clinicians MI and suggests the train-the-trainer approach may be a feasible and effective strategy for disseminating empirically supported treatments.

Reasons for dropout from drug abuse treatment: symptoms, personality, and motivation.

Previous research has identified risk factors for early attrition from substance abuse treatment, but has not assessed reasons for dropout from the client's perspective. Interview and self-report assessment data were collected from 24 clients who prematurely terminated outpatient treatment to evaluate their subjective reasons for dropping out and the association of these reasons with demographic and clinical variables. Items from scales indicating problems with client motivation or conflicts with program staff were the most commonly endorsed. The severity of participant's symptoms and logistical problems interfering with appointments were less commonly reported as reasons for dropping out. Demographic, substance abuse, and motivational stage indicators were infrequently associated with subjective reasons for dropout. In contrast, indicators of maladaptive personality functioning were strongly associated with many reasons for dropping out, especially concerns about privacy and boundary issues within the program. Results from this preliminary evaluation will guide the development of an instrument and intervention focused on dropout risk factors and treatment reengagement.