YOUR WORK. YOUR PRACTICE.
Practice conversations that make responsibilities clear and create room for the person's priorities during supervision and reentry.
People may be sorting through appointments, employment support and expectations they did not choose. Practice distinguishing what the scenario establishes as required from what the person can decide, then work with their questions and goals.
MI can support a conversation about a personally meaningful change while you remain clear about your role. Listening to disagreement, explaining expectations and exploring a chosen goal each call for a response that fits the purpose.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, goal-oriented way of talking that helps people explore and strengthen their own motivation for change. Careful listening, shared focus and respect for choice guide the conversation. These skills also help when the immediate task is to understand a concern, explain information or agree what happens next.
BECOMING WITHIN YOUR WORK
Your professional identity includes responsibilities to the person, the community and the justice system. Intentional practice helps you notice how you communicate an expectation, hear disagreement and distinguish a requirement from a choice that remains the person’s.
A question to carry into practice
Where can I be clearer about my responsibility and more curious about the person’s perspective?
American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) · Professional association
Reflect on professional responsibility, respect for the individual, public trust and continued learning.
Explore the resources that fit your role, alongside your organization’s guidance and local credentialing requirements. These independent resources are offered for learning; their inclusion does not imply affiliation or endorsement.
CONVERSATIONS YOU CAN PRACTICE
Explain the appointment information provided and identify what still needs checking.
Understand the person's questions about employment support before moving toward a next step.
Hear the person's account of supervision and consider an adjustment within your role.
Explore how a goal fits the person's priorities and the demands already on their time.
The daily conversation rotates within your field. Additional conversation choices depend on your account's access.
FROM PRACTICE TO YOUR NEXT CONVERSATION
Have a short back-and-forth with a fictional partner. Get specific feedback on your responses, choose something to try next, and return to your saved conversations as you develop.
Notice how authority affects the exchange. Reflect on where you explained a responsibility clearly and where the person had room to contribute.
Build my practice home →WHY BECOMING MI
Becoming MI connects daily practice with the person and professional you want to become. Try a response, consider feedback, and carry something useful into your next conversation.
Your values, responsibilities and well-being meet in your work. We make room for that whole experience, including the resources and support you need.
Explore AMIGA’s approach to becoming →