Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Therapists and Social Service Providers 

Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

Location: Virtual

Instructor: Ann Marie Roepke, Ph.D., Evoke Training and Consulting, PLLC

CE credits: 6 CE's (pending)

Course Description:

How can we help our clients make positive changes in their behavior -- without nagging, shaming, persuading, or arguing? Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counseling approach that can help individuals change behaviors they might feel ambivalent about, such as exercising, quitting alcohol/drugs, adopting safer sex practices, taking important medications, or starting psychotherapy.

In this interactive and engaging 6-hour training, participants will learn the fundamentals of motivational interviewing, including the MI spirit, the four processes of MI, use of the core techniques (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries), the strategic use of different types of reflective listening, how to evoke and strengthen motivation for change, and how to roll with difficulty and discord within the helping relationship. We will focus on topics that may impact Veterans we serve, including: motivation to seek help for mental health, addressing PTSD, addressing substance use concerns, management of chronic pain and health conditions. Training participants will have the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways including lecture, demonstrations, small group practice in breakout rooms, discussions, and experiential learning activities designed to give them a richer understanding of the use of motivational interviewing in therapeutic and healthcare 

 Objectives:

At the end of this training participants will be able to:

1. Define motivational interviewing (MI)
2. Define change talk and sustain talk 
3. Explain the fundamental spirit and guiding principles of MI
4. List two ways to evoke change talk
5. Demonstrate use of MI-consistent reflective listening
6. Assess how, where, and when MI may be beneficial in the participant’s clinical/work setting

References:

Bahri, A. A. (2025). Motivational Interviewing to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors: Evidence, implementation, and digital applications. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 6629-6642.

Lundahl, B., Howey, W., Dilanchian, A., Garcia, M. J., Patin, K., Moleni, K., & Burke, B. (2024). Addressing suicide risk: A systematic review of motivational interviewing infused interventions. Research on Social Work Practice, 34(2), 158-168.

Pinto e Silva, T. P., Gouveia, C., Santirso, F. A., Cunha, O., & Caridade, S. (2025). Effectiveness of motivational interviewing with justice-involved people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychosocial Intervention, 34(2), 89.

Possemato, K., Mastroleo, N. R., Balderrama-Durbin, C., King, P., Davis, A., Borsari, B., & Rauch, S. A. (2024). A randomized controlled pilot trial of primary care treatment integrating motivation and exposure treatment (PC-TIME) in veterans with PTSD and harmful alcohol use. Behavior Therapy, 55(3), 570-584.