Conflict as Creative Catalyst The Art of Confrontation in Academic Advising Julie R. Nelson, the University of Iowa Holly Haddad, the University of South Dakota

For Today…  Conflict as Creative Catalyst  Theories and Interventions

Ask… How Do You Define Conflict? How Do You Know It Is Present? How Do You Feel About Conflict?

Think about Conflict in Stories…  Conflict Reveals What is at Stake  Conflict Moves the Narrative Forward  Conflict Leads to Resolution  Conflict Allows Characters to Change and Grow

Conflict Occurs When There Are…  Different Goals  Lack of Agreement  Selective Majors  Uncertain Outcomes  Outcomes at Odds with Goals

Conflict as Creative Catalyst  Heart of Advising Relationship  Something is at Stake for Advisees  Learning to Work Through Challenges  Opportunity for Discovery

Imagine…  Advisee’s Perspective  Advisee’s Response  Your Response  End-of-Session Goal

Theories and Interventions

Ask… How Can You Confront Advisees without Alienating Them?

Supportive Confrontation  De-emphasize Labels (“failure”)  Describe What Actually Happens  Emphasize Personal Choice  Reflect Feelings or Goals  Give Genuine Feedback (e.g. rhet) P. S. Berman & S. N. Shopland (2005). Interviewing and diagnostic exercises for clinical and counseling skills building. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Example of Supportive Confrontation  Your advisee tells you she is the only one in the class to earn a “D” on her speech. She attributes the grade to her teacher not liking her. She says, “I have not gone to office hours because I know I’m going to get a D, so what’s the use of trying?”

Dynamics of Supportive Confrontation  Two Levels  Interweaving Affirmation with Confrontation  Being Specific about Benefits and Consequences Directive Short-term Specific Content Indirect Long-View Develop- mental Global Process P. S. Berman & S. N. Shopland (2005). Interviewing and diagnostic exercises for clinical and counseling skills building. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Transtheoretical Model of Change  Prochaska & DiClemente (1982)  Five Stages of Change  Resolving Feelings of Ambiguity See Prochaska, J. O. & DiClemente, C. C. (1982) Transtheoretical therapy: Toward a more integrative model of change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, 19,

Motivational Interviewing (MI)  PURPOSE OF MI:  Motivational Interviewing aims to stimulate intrinsic motivation to change by helping advisee explore and resolve feelings of ambivalence.  MI can be effective with advisees who contemplate change but feel hindered by uncertainty.  RESISTANCE (CONFLICT)  Ambivalence hinders adaptive behavior.  Resistance accompanies loss of freedom or choice.  Resistance is outcome of relationship interactions.  Resistance can be barrier to change talk.  Allow resistance to keep lines of communication open. Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. (1991). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people to change addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford. See also, Moyers, T. B. & Rollnick, S. (2002). A motivational interviewing perspective on resistance in psychotherapy. JCLP/In Session: Psychotherapy in Practice, Vol. 58(2),

Conflict = Resistance in MI  Ambivalence Hinders Adaptive Behavior  Resistance Likely with Loss of Freedom or Choice  Resistance is a Product of Interaction  Resistance is a Barrier to Change Talk  Advisor Allows Resistance  Reduce Resistance to Avoid Rupture with Advisee Moyers, T. B. & Rollnick, S. (2002). A motivational interviewing perspective on resistance in psychotherapy. JCLP/In Session: Psychotherapy in Practice, Vol. 58(2),

MI Interventions  Working Alliance Essential  Determine:  Behaviors in Need of Change  What Behavior Student Wants to Change  Importance + Confidence + Readiness Scaling Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. (1991). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people to change addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford. See also Rollnick, S., Mason, P., & Butler, C. (1999). Health behavior change: A guide for practitioners. London: Churchill Livingstone.

ASK… How Can You Listen for Conflict? How Can You Respond When Conflict is Present?

Advisees’ Perspective  Listen to the Story  Find Out What is at Stake  Reflect What You Hear

Guide the Conversation  Ask What is Happening:  General Questions  Focused Questions

Open Ended Questions  How (do you see it)?  What (happened)?  Tell me more about…  What do you think we should do?  How would you feel if…?

MI Conflict Resolution  Ask Permission  Explore Feelings about Change  Determine Readiness to Change

Your Responses  Hear them out  Nonjudgmental  Empathetic  Active listening  Body language “speaks” volumes!  Avoid:  Excessive questioning  Interpolating advice

Example 1  Your pre-health advisee continues to struggle in science courses and is on the brink of probation. She bristles at the suggestion she develop a parallel plan. “Why should I make other plans? I’m not a quitter. Being a Dentist is all I ever wanted to be.”

Example 2  Your student is on academic probation and has not shown for several appointments. Now it is November and time for registration. He comes a few minutes late to the appointment. What do you say?

Conclusion  Allow Time for “Soul Searching”  Provide Options  Follow-up

Thank You!

References Berman, P. S. and Shopland, S. N. (2005). Interviewing and diagnostic exercises for clinical and counseling skills building. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Cupach, W. R., and Canary, D. J. (2010). Competence in interpersonal conflict. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Miller, W. R. & Rollnick, S. (1991). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people to change addictive behaviors. New York: Guilford. Moyers, T. B. & Rollnick, S. (2002). A motivational interviewing perspective on resistance in psychotherapy. JCLP/In Session: Psychotherapy in Practice, Vol. 58(2), Prochaska, J. O. & DiClemente, C. C. (1982). Transtheoretical therapy: Toward a more integrative model of change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, 19, Rollnick, S., Mason, P., & Butler, C. (1999). Health behavior change: A guide for practitioners. London: Churchill Livingstone. Shallcross, L. (2010). Managing resistant clients. Counseling Today. Retrieved from on April 28,