Motivational Interviewing: An Introduction

VA FARMS, Sept 15 1:00-4:00pm

Ann Marie Roepke, Ph.D.

How can we help our clients make positive changes in their behavior -- without nagging, shaming, persuading, debating, arguing, or trying to do all the work ourselves? Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counseling approach that can help individuals change behaviors they might feel ambivalent about, such as exercising, changing their diet, quitting or reducing alcohol/drug use, adopting safer sex practices, taking important medications, starting psychotherapy, or pursuing education or employment. In this introductory 3-hour training, participants will learn the fundamentals of motivational interviewing, including the MI spirit, the core MI micro-skills (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries), how to evoke and strengthen motivation for change, and how to roll with difficulty and discord within the helping relationship.

Training participants will have the opportunity to learn in a variety of ways including lecture, demonstrations/videos, discussions, and experiential learning activities designed to give them a richer understanding of the use of motivational interviewing. This educational training is designed for people from a variety of professional backgrounds (i.e., it is NOT designed solely with mental health professionals in mind).

Note: this training is provided as information and education, and is not intended as therapy, healthcare, medical advice, or a doctor-patient relationship; if you have questions about making healthy changes in your own life, please consult your healthcare provider.

Learning Objectives: 

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

1. Define motivational interviewing (MI), change talk, and sustain talk 
2. Explain the fundamental spirit and guiding principles of MI
3. List two ways to evoke change talk
4. Describe how to respond to sustain talk (or ‘stuckness’) in an MI style
5. Assess how, where, and when MI may be beneficial in the participant’s clinic/work setting