Motivational Interviewing Learning Environment and Simulation
The Motivational Interviewing Learning Environment and Simulation (MILES) is a virtual reality project developed by the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR), in partnership with the USC Institute for Creative Technologies.
Through practice with a simulated patient named Mike Baker, MILES teaches future therapists to use motivational interviewing, a therapy technique that promotes behaviorial change by helping clients explore and resolve ambivalence.
During a MILES session, one social work student interacts with Baker while classmates watch and choose clinical responses from a list of multiple-choice options. This enables future clinicians to acquire the skills they need to support our returning soldiers, their families and their communities. CIR researchers are also evaluating the effectiveness of MILES as a teaching tool.
