I. Deportment: Interview Setting & Location

II. Interview Structure

• Set Up - giving the purpose and setting the tone of the interview.
• Gather Information - using different communication techniques; staff collects information about offenders.
• Close Out - summarizing information learned or discussed during the interview.
  • Magic Questions - zeroing in on any issues that need immediate attention.
  • Hot Cognitions - large open questions that help offenders shift their frame of reference.
  • Feedback - Impersonal and nonjudgmental discussion of informtion gathered during the interview.

III. Deportment: Interview Skills

• Reflections - Reflections are a restatement of what an offender has said, and let people know they are being listened to and understood.
• Summarizations - Summarizations are a number of reflections strung together and can be used throughout interviews to ensure that major points are understood.
• Affirmations - Positive statements used to reinforce offenders' self-efficacy.
• Open Questions - Questions that require the offender to talk about an answer and not answering it with a "yes" or "no."

IV. Eliciting Self-Motivating Statements

V. Principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI)

• Develop Discrepancy -Showing offenders the inconsistency between their actions and what they say
• Avoid Arguments - Arguments benefit no one and only increase defensiveness and staff can use "Reflections" by repeating or restating what an offender said to reduce that defensiveness.
• Support Self-Efficacy - Pointing out instances where the offender has been successful and using this "situational-based self confidence" as a confidence booster for the offender.
• Roll with Resistance - Resistance may manifest itself in the form of arguments or it may be subtle resistance that is not direct conflict. Staff needs to be prepared to "roll" with or move through this resistance.
• Model Pro-social Behavior- Staff not only communicates with the offender what behavior they should have but should also embody these very same behaviors such as being respectful and being on time.

Role Play