Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 11:00 am – 2:15 pm ET /
8:00 am – 11:15 am PT
Format:   Live interactive training offered via Zoom

Presented by: Alexander Waitt, LPC, MS, MSEd (See Bio) and Sarah Cameron, MS, CTTS, NBC-HWC (See Bio)

You must attend the entire live training and complete an evaluation to be eligible for CE credits. If you seek only psychology credits, the evaluation is optional, and you can remain anonymous.

Online Training Description:

Difficult conversations — with clients as well as with other professionals — is one of the challenges we contend with in the treatment field. Fortunately, there is an established practice we can use to turn these conversations into effective methods for motivating change. This training introduces Ask-Offer-Ask (AOA), a structured way to have successful conversations in moments of uncertainty, tension, and decision-making. It's a simple, powerful technique that helps you:

• Share your expertise in a way that people can actually hear and use
• Avoid getting caught in cycles of over-explaining, justifying, or debating
• Guide people toward decisions that work for them—without pressure, force, or exhaustion
• Navigate moments of frustration, disengagement, or emotional overwhelm with clarity and purpose

AOA is especially useful for brief interactions—those real-world moments when time is limited but your words still need to have a lasting impact. This training offers a hands-on, experiential learning opportunity rather than theoretical instruction. Participants engage with real-world scenarios drawn from their own work and learn from the shared experiences of person-centered helpers.

If you’ve ever left a conversation feeling like you couldn’t reach the person in the way you needed to, this training is for you. Prior experience with motivational interviewing techniques is not required for participation.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

1) Explain how conversations get stuck, and what professionals can do next
2) Use AOA to share information, facilitate decision-making, and guide conversations in a manner that avoids making people feel lectured, talked down to, or forced into something
3) Explain common traps that helpers fall into when trying to get people on board with a plan or suggested course of action
4) Describe how to use the structure of AOA in moments of uncertainty, stress, and emotional overload to maintain productive dialog

Interactive Follow-Up Meeting

Attendees are invited to join an open discussion 15 minutes following the end of the training, where you can engage with fellow attendees by turning on your camera and microphone. This is an opportunity to share your experiences and contribute to a meaningful exchange of ideas. Time will be allocated to address questions or insights from the training. Please note that attendance is optional and will not affect your eligibility for a training certificate.

We can refund your training fee up to 24 hours prior to the start of the training.

To view all training details and review our list of frequently asked questions, please click here to visit the promotional page.