Introductory Motivational Interviewing for Helping Professionals

What is Motivational Interviewing?

Increasing attention is being paid to the benefits of an evidence-based, Motivational Interviewing (MI) communication style to enhance engagement and build motivation for change across a range of populations and practice areas such as: physical and mental health; substance use; child and family services; physical rehabilitation services; and education and prevention programming. MI is a respectful and compassionate way of supporting people in making changes in their lives and has also been found to be helpful when working cross-culturally.

Introductory Motivational Interviewing for Helping Professionals

Over 4 mornings, learners will explore the foundations of Motivational Interviewing to support them in their work with others. Combining facilitated, synchronous (together) learning via Zoom and independent activities, helping professionals gain both knowledge and practical skills to immediately begin to integrate an MI approach into their conversations. No previous experience in MI is necessary.

To maximize the online learning experience, class size is limited to 16 participants.

Dates, Times & Topics

Preparation Activity - Independent Learning (30 mins)

Friday, June 9, 2023, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm PT (synchronous = together) Session 1 - What is MI and how does it work?

Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm PT (synchronous) Session 2 – Engaging & Core Skills

Friday, June 16, 2023, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm PT(synchronous) Session 3 – Dancing with Discord & Focusing

Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm PT (synchronous) Session 4 – Sharing Information and Evoking Change

Each session will also have a 30 minute independent take-away activity.

Total learning hours = 13

Who should attend?

Helping professionals who support others in making health and related changes, such as, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, counsellors, speech language pathologists, dieticians, pharmacists, educators, coaches, nurses, and physicians.

Facilitator

Cristine Urquhart, MSW, RSW, co-founder of Change Talk Associates, has over 15 years of experience as an adult educator with helping professionals across practice areas and populations. Building on a decade of teaching a multi-level MI program with UBC Continuing Studies, Cristine is dedicated to continuing to support helping professionals to collaboratively and compassionately guide change. Drawing on her own experience of working within substance use and mental health systems, Cristine translates research to practice within the context of social determinants of health and trauma-informed practice. In addition to her extensive experience facilitating interprofessional groups, Cristine has contributed to knowledge translation and prevention initiatives with the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, BC Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Cristine is a member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (Bulgaria, 2007) and a contributor to numerous MI resources and practice guides, including a chapter in the second edition of Motivational Interviewing in Social Work Practice (2021). Cristine was an instructor with both UBC Continuing Studies and the Justice Institute of BC for over 10 years. She lives in the West Kootenays of British Columbia, Canada with her family.

FAQs

How can I contact the organizer with questions?

For information, email info@changetalk.ca or call 604.716.6685.

What technical equipment do I need?

To fully participate in the course, learners will need: access to Wi-Fi/internet and a computer with a camera and microphone. The sessions are interactive and require the ability to hear and see each other. A Zoom invitation link will be sent by email prior to each session.

The Zoom application can be downloaded to the computer desktop or accessed via web browsers. If it is necessary to use a mobile device (phone), you can download the app for your phone. For more information on Zoom requirements, please see the Zoom Help Center on the official site.

What's the refund policy?

If you would like to withdraw from a course, please email a written notice to info@changetalk.ca at least 7 business days before the course begins to be eligible for a refund (less a $50 administration fee). No refund will be made for cancellations received later than 7 business days before the course begins. Exceptions will be considered in extreme circumstances, such as illness.

In the event of insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances, Change Talk Associates may be forced to cancel a course. If this occurs, a full refund is processed and sent to you automatically.

Is my registration fee or ticket transferable?

Transferring from one course to another offering of the same course within 5 business days of the course start date is considered a withdrawal and a new registration. The $50 administration fee for withdrawals will be charged for the transfer or change. A transfer can be made one time.

Continuing Education Credits

A letter of completion is provided at the end of the training, including: course title, description, objectives and the number of learning hours (13).