As all seasoned professionals know, engaging clients in conversations about change is not easy. Further, while we often think of engagement as something that happens at the start of treatment, keeping clients engaged throughout the treatment experience is critical to success. This module focuses on skills for building and maintaining therapeutic engagement with clients whose lives have been characterized by adversity and distrust, thus revealing the transformative power of listening as a full-body experience.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate skills for deeply listening to and understanding clients
2. Describe four components of the “spirit” of motivational interviewing
3. Explain the difference between motivational interviewing and person-centered and other models of care

We have all felt two ways about making difficult changes in our lives. This module examines the components of intrinsic motivation, which plays a key role in our ability and willingness to enact meaningful change. Intrinsic motivation is driven by multiple factors, including:

• Importance: How important is the proposed change? The more personally meaningful the change, the more intrinsically motivated they will be to see it through.
• Confidence: How confident is the client that they can do it? A strong sense of self-efficacy is a powerful driver of intrinsic motivation.
• Energy: How much energy does the client have to devote to the process of change? Factors like stress, burnout, and competing priorities can impact on one’s available energy.

Intrinsic motivation offers ideas for listening to and honoring the complexities of people’s ambivalence. For example, if your client responds with a “yes, but…” statement, it’s a sign that you may be moving too fast.

Learning Objectives:

1. Enact skills for responding to others with complex, empathic, reflective statements using open questions to “move” the conversation along.
2. Describe the key components of intrinsic motivation.
3. Identify how to assess a client's intrinsic motivation based on importance, confidence, and energy.

Research has found that the way clients talk about change can be the best predictor of treatment outcomes. This module explores the often-subtle language that indicates a client’s growing readiness to undertake challenging changes.

What are the slightest hints that your client is considering making difficult changes?

By closely listening for these indications, you can gain insights into the client’s internal process and readiness for change. One effective technique for providing a starting point for positive change is to inquire about factors that have prevented the problem from worsening.

How can you best attend to those indications and resist the urge to “fix” whatever else might be interfering with treatment?

 By maintaining a non-judgmental and supportive stance, you can create an environment where the client feels safe to explore their own motivations and strategies for change. The client will feel empowered to take ownership of their transformation, leading to more sustainable and meaningful outcomes.

By identifying and reinforcing change talk, you can help clients connect their desired changes to their deeper hopes and dreams.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify “change talk” within a person’s statements
2. Provide a crisp empathic summary statement collecting change talk with a closing inquiry/ open question
3. Describe three components of the “trauma whisper”
4. Explain three components of shame
5. Explain the difference between change talk, commitment talk, and sustain talk

Motivational interviewing is an excellent way to connect with people on a deeper level, helping them to make positive changes while becoming a more compassionate and empathetic person yourself.

This module focuses on critical questions that will help you refine your approach and make a lasting impact. We’ll explore:

• Deepening your practice: Strategies for deepening your MI practice, ensuring that you continue to grow and develop your skills over time.
• Engaging your heart and mind: Ways to keep your focus on learning through both your heart and mind, creating a more authentic and impactful practice.
• Keeping your skills alive: Techniques for keeping your newer skills alive and present, ensuring that you can consistently apply them in real-world situations.

Remember, people who come up with their own ideas for change are more likely to follow through with them.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop advanced strategies to deepen MI practice and foster continuous skill improvement.
2. Discover techniques to engage both emotional intelligence (heart) and cognitive skills (mind) for a more authentic and effective MI approach.
3. Apply MI skills in real-world interactions.