Using Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a Professional Development Tool for Teachers in New Mexico’s Schools, Colleges, and Universities

Using Motivational Interviewing (MI) in Education

For over 40 years, counselors, therapists, and others working primarily in healthcare have been using Motivational Interviewing (MI) to help guide clients towards change and growth on their own terms. The body of growing evidence supporting MI’s efficacy within healthcare has naturally complemented its expansion into other industries, as people working in health literacy (for example, diabetes self-management or medication adherence), outreach, coaching, leadership, and even corrections have explored its potential applications. While these developments all hold signs of promise, it wasn’t until relatively recently, about 10 years ago in the mid-2010s, that MI’s uses were more formally explored in places of learning. Today we take a look at why New Mexico’s schools, colleges, and universities stand to benefit from using Motivational Interviewing based on the currently available research and insights from Ocotillo’s owner.

Research about MI In Educational Settings

Using Motivational Interviewing with students is supported by a growing body of research that has explored its application in a variety of educational settings, from traditional neighborhood schools working with children and young people to institutions of higher learning such as medical schools.

Regarding youth, a 2016 literature review of the currently available research demonstrated that, even early in MI’s use in schools, “there are two main areas in which MI has been found to have a positive impact on student outcomes: disaffection and academic achievement” (Snape & Atkinson). The researchers also commented that, notably, the need for more research and methodological improvements were warranted. Since then, fortunately, the body of knowledge about MI’s use with youth in schools has grown substantially, with an updated literature review released just last month (Alemoru & Atkinson, 2025) containing significant findings for both social emotional and mental health (SEMH) and academics:

“All the studies which explored both academic and SEMH-related outcomes demonstrated positive evidence overall for the use of MI… students who participated in 10 to 12 sessions of an MI intervention demonstrated improved grade performance in both Maths and English. Improved behavioural outcomes were also demonstrated through scores on self-reported behaviour rating scales completed by both students and teachers and a reduction in disciplinary actions.”

Once again, the authors conclude that more research is needed (which is not surprising given the challenges associated with conducting research with youth), but the consistency across the past decade in improving outcomes for kids in school is highly encouraging.

MI in Education: More Learning to Do!

In higher education settings, research has been more specialized and global. A recent study in Korea (Shin, 2025), for example, found that MI was associated with positive outcomes for university students for diverse elements of academic life including college life stress, college life adjustment, and even smartphone addiction. Other studies have found positive outcomes associated with the use of MI in reducing binge drinking in college students, as well as confirming the above stress reduction findings—especially in the short term, and especially when combined with other therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (Fried & Irwin, 2016). With regard to drinking, research has found that Motivational Interviewing combined with Feedback (FB) is not only effective, it’s also the most cost-effective intervention for university students who are drinking heavily (Cowell, Brown, et al., 2012).

MI’s uses in educational settings still need to be further researched and better understood, but the growing body of academic work on the topic demonstrates multiple beneficial applications so far. Below let’s explore some ways that MI might be used in schools, colleges, and universities here in New Mexico.

Our Thoughts on MI’s Potential Uses for Teacher Professional Development in New Mexico's Schools, Colleges, and Universities:

MI for Coaching School Staff:

Coaching has become increasingly common in schools and universities, with many academic institutions recognizing the long-term value provided by opening individualized support and growth opportunities to staff. Instructional coaches, literacy coaches, leadership coaches, burnout coaches, and more are making a positive impact in the lives of educators and learners alike. And while there’s a lot of what-to-do about academic coaching of these kinds, there’s not much how-to-do it, especially when resistance or ambivalence are high.

We believe that’s where Motivational Interviewing training can come in; it offers coaches of all kinds a set of cost-effective, practical, learnable, person-centered communication tools that are evidence-based and geared towards positive transformation. Whether it’s coaching teachers through hesitation about implementing a new instructional strategy or guiding school support staff as they seek to balance self-care and wellness with the professional demands of their positions, MI is broadly applicable because of how it targets ambivalence.

Improving the wellbeing and professional skill of educators is critically important here in New Mexico, where we face a number of geographic, sociopolitical, and historical challenges—similar to Social Drivers/Determinants of Health (SDOH)—that have left our education system with tremendous room for improvement, especially when it comes to serving nonwhite and/or rural populations. Incidentally, MI is helpful here, too, as it naturally lends itself to Cultural Responsiveness, which is critical in our diverse State.

As a former classroom teacher of a decade, I can speak confidently when I say the dedication and talent of teachers is not in question here; nearly all are humble servants who genuinely want the best for their students—your children. But they’re also so tired, being stretched way too thin with almost no support, especially since the pandemic.

MI offers coaches and administrators the tools they need to support educators in their own empowerment through their valid challenges, whether those challenges have to do with making room for balance and healthy behaviors in their personal and professional lives, or with whether or not to pursue additional professional development training, or with any number of other areas where there may be understandable ambivalence.

MI Coaching and Counseling for Students

We believe in the power of MI For and By Educators

Beyond being recipients of MI, at Ocotillo we also believe that MI offers teachers, professors, academic advisors, and school counselors themselves an actionable toolkit of communication strategies to help engage students in their lives and learning. Let’s start with schools serving children and young people, because hey, I was a teacher for 10 years. Before doing so, however, please note that MI is typically recommended for use on students age 12 and over, as it does involve complex concepts of values and self-understanding that may not resonate with younger children. There is growing interest and research on the use of MI in early childhood education, but we are not confident enough yet in the available studies to recommend it.

Now, how can MI serve middle and high school students? Let’s take a trip down memory lane to when I was a teacher: so many of the challenges I observed from students, whether these challenges be academic, behavioral, or otherwise, had to do with student ambivalence. This was true both in South Central Los Angeles and here in Albuquerque; I taught in each for five years, and while the student populations from these two cities are vastly different in backgrounds and cultures, one universal trait that I encountered was that kids anywhere face a lot of ambivalence, seemingly daily.

This is because that’s where kids are in their lives! They’re kids, and they should be kids. They are learning to understand and navigate the world, and a part of that navigation involves choices. Choices steeped in ambivalence. Almost all students who blow off their homework to play Fortnite know that their schoolwork is helpful for them, but they are ambivalent; Fortnite is a lot more fun.

Almost all kids know that they shouldn’t hit somebody else or take their belongings, but, as young people, most of us learn these lessons the so-called hard way because we don't have the lived experience (yet) to help guide us through our behavioral choices.

MI can supplement the appropriate and hopefully restorative consequences that accompany misbehavior (again, they’re kids) to empower students to avoid the same behaviors again in the future based on their own terms and intrinsic motivation. By helping them understand their own decision making leading up to the behavior, you walk alongside them towards lasting change. This is not only more humanizing and authentic than purely punitive or other fear-based approaches, but also more effective for positive growth and development. It is also more culturally responsive. MI gives coaches, teachers, counselors, and even parents the tools they need to empathetically relate to their youth’s ambivalence and empower them to make their own autonomous choices towards positive change. It’s a lot more compassionate—and more ethical—than “because I said so.”

In higher education, MI also has broad potential use. Academic Advisors and Student Success Specialists are increasingly common on college and university campuses, aiming to support individualized pathways towards student success that are equitably responsive to need. For professors and other educators, instructional coaches are used similarly as they are in the neighborhood school. And then there’s also the direct counseling benefits for supporting students struggling with heavy drinking or other mental health issues. Because this ground is already much more well-trod than MI’s uses with younger people, and because any of the well-documented benefits of MI would apply to college students as adults, I won’t go into too much detail about MI’s applicability in higher education. I hope, however, that you can already see the parallels and potential benefits it could bring to your higher education institution. You already know the “whats”; we give you the how.

3. How Ocotillo Can Empower Educators and Students at Your Educational Institution

Collaborating with You for Long-Term Growth

Are you ready to explore the how and use MI for teacher professional development in New Mexico? The Spirit of MI, along with its four processes and OARS practices, are not difficult to understand—but they do take structured and guided practice to master and implement effectively.

At Ocotillo Training and Consulting, we specialize in designing training experiences that integrate Motivational Interviewing with person-centered educator development, right here in New Mexico. Our approach is grounded in cultural responsiveness, emotional intelligence, and practical application, ensuring that educators make a lasting impact in the lives of the students they serve.

Through our Custom Training Solutions, we will tailor our Motivational Interviewing (MI) instruction to match your educational environment. And if you'd rather try a smaller sample of what we offer first, our Preplanned Trainings always remain available to you. Either way, we believe you will see positive return on your investment if you partner with us.

That's because we offer professional development that goes deeper than what you're used to. Our trainings in Motivational Interviewing, leadership, education, public health, and DEI are designed to help professionals embody person-centeredness while deepening their cultural responsiveness.

Whether you're a clinician, educator, supervisor, or community leader, we’ll work with you to create learning experiences that are engaging, inclusive, and tailored to your context. Our goal is to help you build trust, evoke change, and foster transformation that lasts.

Visit www.ocotillotraining.com to learn more or reach out to explore how we can support your team’s growth. We’re honored to walk alongside you.

Citations

Alemoru, N., & Atkinson, C. (2025). The use of student-focused school-based motivational interviewing: a systematic literature review. Pastoral Care in Education, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2025.2515921

Cowell, A. J., Brown, J. M., Mills, M. J., Bender, R. H., & Wedehase, B. J. (2012). Cost-effectiveness analysis of motivational interviewing with feedback to reduce drinking among a sample of college students. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 73(2), 226-237.

Fried, R. R., & Irwin, J. D. (2016). Calmly coping: A Motivational Interviewing Via Co-Active Life Coaching (MI-VIA-CALC) pilot intervention for university students with perceived levels of high stress. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 14(1), 16-33.

Shin, E. S. (2025). The Effect of Motivational Interviewing Program on Smartphone Addiction, College Life Stress and College Life Adjustment of Nursing Students. The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology, 11(2), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.17703/JCCT.2025.11.2.333

Snape, L., & Atkinson, C. (2016). The evidence for student-focused motivational interviewing in educational settings: a review of the literature. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 9(2), 119–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/1754730X.2016.1157027