19. Motivational Interviewing For School Counselors with Reagan North

Author: Carol Miller, School Counselor
Published: Wed 26 Jul 2023
Episode Link: https://counselingessentials.org/captivate-podcast/motivational-interviewing-for-school-counselors-with-reagan-north

Have you ever used motivational interviewing (MI) in your school counseling program? If you aren’t familiar with motivational interviewing, it is a technique that focuses on building empathy and helping students talk themselves into making positive changes based on what motivates them.

It’s absolutely fascinating to learn about and for our guest today, Reagan North, it completely changed the way he viewed his job as a school counselor. Reagan is here to share all about this technique and how you can use it with your students.

Reagan North is a professor and author of Motivational Interviewing for School Counselors. In our conversation, we discuss the power of motivational Interviewing (MI) in school counseling and how it can lead to positive behavioral changes in students.

You can hear more from Reagan at The Summer Counselor Conference where he will be presenting a session on motivational interviewing techniques for individual counseling, small groups and classroom lessons.

Topics Covered:

A powerful MI technique that leads to better understanding and connection with students.
How asking for permission to discuss sensitive topics or change allows students to feel in control of the conversation
Different ways that school counselors can use MI (Motivational Interviewing) effectively
Why giving advice can actually break our relationships with students
The difference between a simple and complex reflection, and examples of how you might use it during a counseling session
What to focus on in order to help students develop the motivation to make positive change in their lives

Links Mentioned:

Connect with Reagan North: