MHT15 - Motivational Interviewing:

This workshop is designed to help the delegate understand the benefits of Motivational Interviewing and learn to apply its principles in an informal, yet potentially therapeutic setting. For this reason we will refer to the course delegate as ‘the therapist’. What is motivation?

Motivation can be understood not as something that one has, but as something that one does. It involves recognising a problem, searching for a way to change, and then beginning and sticking with that strategy (Miller & Rollnick)

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a directive client-centred counselling style for eliciting and affecting behavioural change by helping clients explore and resolve ambivalence. Ambivalence is defined as the coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea, or, uncertainty or indecisiveness as to which course to follow. MI provides a solution-focussed intervention which is dedicated to helping individuals choose healthier lifestyles. It assists people to assess their own readiness to change and to commence that process.

MI is not the right thing for every client. It is not a cure-all for all client resistance and ambivalence and not a substitute for clinical judgement. The spirit of motivational interviewing is a collaborative process. Clients are partners in the consultation process; as a consequence, MI is less prescriptive or directive as when compared to other interventions. Clients are invited to collaborate and make change if they’re ready. The therapist listens more than they tell and learn to gain the client’s perspective whilst honouring their autonomy, resourcefulness, responsibility and ability to choose / change. Critical to MI is an emphasis that the client’s state of mind is not a character flaw.

MI offers respect, empathy, hope and recognition of success regardless of its status. MI offers empowerment and a focus on the individual’s story, strengths and their self-defined goals whilst partnering with them for their own recovery plan. Staying engaged, no matter what.

Delegates will learn to take the centre ground between listener, guide and instructor. There will be a teaching focus on the application of open-ended questions that elicit conversations that focus on the consequences of making changes, or not making changes. Whilst learning to identify and motivate change-talk.

Stages of MI, the therapist’s role and the focus of training:

Are clients interested in changing?
In this stage, the therapist’s job is to raise doubt, provide information and open doors for the future (with permission). Delegates are coached in this strategy.

Are clients ambivalent about changing?
In this stage, the therapist’s job is to tip the balance. Delegates are coached in this strategy.

Are clients committed to changing?
In this stage, the therapist’s job is to determine the best course of action and direct / walk alongside the client, steering towards change. Delegates are coached in this strategy.

This workshop teaches delegates to live in the spirit of motivational interviewing and to apply techniques that work with the client to affect change. Delegates learn to use collaborative, evocative, supportive exploration whilst supporting the client’s autonomy. Delegates will receive a mix of lecture and video session processing. The video case scenarios will be used to help the participant see the techniques in action and process their use. It is hoped that delegates will leave with a fresh, new approach for working with resistant service users and will be energised to help individuals become motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Post training support is available.