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Abstract:
Professional training tapes can be useful, but often they may not demonstrate the precise points that you want to emphasize. Making your own videotape can be quite useful, and can allow you to adapt your tape to particular settings, racial-ethnic groups, and languages not represented on available trianing tapes.

Overview:
Sometimes trainees are reluctant to participate actively in role-play or other experiential exercises. Providing a demonstration shows trainees you are willing to expose yourself and possible imperfections, and can be a humorous way to ease them into participation.

Guidelines:
One strategy that works well is to show a “bad example,” which can be contrasted with a “better example.” Prior to the training, create a videotape of yourself interviewing a client. Don’t worry about it being broadcast quality. The main factor that makes a tape useful for training is good sound quality, so focus on using a good external microphone and recorder, and minimize ambient noise when making the tape.

Example:
In the bad example tape, you as the therapist should strive to model non-MI techniques or show yourself using MI techniques without the spirit (the words without the music). For example, on the tape you might start with open questions and reflections, but summarize with labels, using the expert trap, show sarcasm or disrespect, etc., as in: “I’d like to give you some feedback about what you’ve said so far. I hear that you don’t think you have a problem, but based on my 20 years of experience with addicts, I can see that you are in denial. This is a problem that won’t just go away and in fact, will usually get much worse.” Because you are deliberately using non-MI techniques, it’s advisable to use a colleague or student to play the role of the client or patient (rather than a real client!). Provide them with general instructions about their role, including the main areas of problem behavior, types of ambivalence and motivations, and instructions for responding naturally to your interventions. Avoid using scripts - they almost always feel artificial. Prior to showing this tape, prime the group to watch for any MI techniques, and also to note what the therapist (you!) are doing that is less than therapeutic. This “bad example” segment optimally lasts 10 minutes, providing the group with a flavor for the session and the patient’s/client’s likely response. After showing the tape, which should provoke some laughter, facilitate the group to list the MI-consistent and MIinconsistent behaviors you demonstrated. This leads into a discussion of what types of counselor behaviors tend to be more helpful, and you can then launch into experiential practice of specific skills. Alternately, you might follow up the “bad example” tape with a “better example.” Using the same colleague to play the same patient/client case, model instead the use of OARS, exploration of ambivalence, and development of discrepancy. The “better example” tape should show a somewhat different outcome. After showing the tape, facilitate the group to list the helpful and non-helpful behaviors you demonstrated. Ask them to guess in which tape the client or patient would be most likely to make a successful change. Then launch into experiential practice of specific skills.

Notes:
An alternative is to try switching back and forth between MI-consistent and MI-inconsistent styles, and ask participants to watch for each. One fun way is to give each participant a red card and a green card. Ask them to hold up a green card when they see you doing something that is MI-consistent, and a red card when they see something that is MI-inconsistent.

Thanks to: Karen Ingersoll