Helping Clients Prepare for Change: Exploring Ambivalence in Abuse Prevention
Please note: This webinar is not eligible for continuing education (CE) credit due to its informal, conversational format. Participants who attend the full live session will, however, receive a Certificate of Attendance.
This webinar is primarily for professionals working with adult clients with histories of harmful behaviors, with a particular focus on those in the domestic violence and sexual abuse prevention fields. This includes social workers, counselors, therapists, psychologists, and other program staff in community, outpatient, residential, or justice-involved settings. Professionals working with older adolescents will also benefit from this discussion.
Ambivalence is a universal human experience—we have all felt torn between two directions at different points in our lives. We may want to change, yet also feel a strong pull to stay the same. In clinical settings, 
practitioners often encounter clients who express a desire for change while remaining unsure about engaging in treatment. What can appear as resistance is often, in fact, a valuable opportunity for meaningful clinical exploration.
Few treatment approaches explicitly address ambivalence, though Motivational Interviewing and the Good Lives Model are notable exceptions. Many commonly used models and techniques rely on a client already being motivated to change, which can limit their effectiveness when ambivalence is present. For individuals whose actions have caused harm to others, ambivalence is often a central feature of their engagement in treatment or supervision, including interactions with probation or parole officers.
In this webinar, Motivational Interviewing trainer and domestic violence expert Lauren Garder explores how ambivalence manifests in clients with histories of harmful behavior. She offers practical examples and insights into how ambivalence can be skillfully elicited, explored, and resolved. Participants gain strategies to engage even those clients who appear unmotivated, helping them move toward meaningful conversations about change.
Who's Presenting
Lauren Garder, MA LPC
Lauren Garder is a Licensed Professional Counselor working in Oklahoma City, OK with 10+ years of experience in mental health and victim services. Lauren previously worked for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services as the Senior Manager of Zero Suicide and Trauma Care, overseeing the expansion of trauma informed service systems and Zero Suicide Initiatives across the State. During Lauren’s time with the ODMHSAS, Lauren implemented a first of its kind in the nation partnership between a State agency and Family Justice Center to implement a “no wrong door” approach to serving survivors with mental health and substance use disorders and enhancing partnerships between certified victim service providers and community mental health and addiction recovery agencies. Lauren served as the State’s subject matter expert on trauma and specifically supported multiple federal grants as the subject matter expert on trauma and human trafficking. Lauren is CAMS trained (Collaborative Assessment for the Management of Suicidality) and enjoys working with victim service providers to enhance screening, support, and awareness for survivors who experience suicidality.
Lauren currently works in private practice providing individual therapy, training, consultation, and expert witness services. Lauren’s clinical work is mostly with survivors of chronic traumas, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She has also worked in shelter, transitional, and inpatient settings in Oklahoma and Colorado. Lauren enjoys training on topics related to trauma, trauma informed care, and the intersections of victimization and mental health. As an expert witness, Lauren provides testimony and consultation in federal, state, and civil matters regarding domestic violence and trauma. Lauren has the honor of currently serving on the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Board and previously served almost five years on the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.