Motivational Training Intensive (2-DAY)

This 10-hour workshop is intended for participants to learn and practice the techniques of Motivational Interviewing to encourage and motivate clients to come up with their own reasons for change.  One of the largest barriers for clients struggling with substance use or mental health issues, is the lack of motivation to change the maladaptive behavior. The individual may have awareness to their failing health and the impact their addiction may have on their relationships, financially, and legally, yet they still struggle to find the motivation to thrive in a healthy environment.  

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an approach to communication that tends to help clients construct their own argument(s) in support change. This training on Motivational Interviewing (MI) focusing on improving conversations about change. Fidelity to this way of focusing a conversation serves to enhance the client’s desires for the identified change, and to assist them in articulating their own reasons and needs related to the targeted change. The skillful use of MI with clients leads to activation and strengthening of readiness, willingness and ability to engage with a strategic change plan – of their own making. Participants will enhance their skills through a mix of didactic presentation, demonstration and skill practice exercises. This is an interactive training where skill-based activities improve the learning and application of Motivational Interviewing skills.  

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  

• Define Motivational Interviewing concepts, including the four tasks and the spirit of MI​ 

• Learn and practice OARS, the core skills, through participation in small and large group activities​ 

• Explore strategies to elicit and respond to client’s self-motivational statements (change talk)  ​ 

• Describe interviewer behaviors that increase and decrease discord (resistance) in the therapeutic relationship​ 

• Begin to explore strategies to soften sustain talk and disarm discord​