Helping Clients Change: Integrating Motivational Interviewing into Clinical Practice E317

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, collaborative approach that strengthens clients’ motivation and commitment to change. MI helps practitioners engage clients in conversations that honor autonomy, explore ambivalence, and evoke intrinsic motivation. This course provides clinicians with a foundation in the Spirit of MI, the core skills, change talk and sustain talk, and the four processes that guide effective MI conversations. The course will also address common challenges clinicians face and offer strategies for maintaining an MI-consistent stance. 

The training explores tools such as Ask-Offer-Ask, importance and confidence rulers, and strategies for eliciting change talk. Populations and clinical issues where MI may be effective are covered. By the end of this training, clinicians should feel more confident using MI and integrating it into their practice to support clients in values-aligned and meaningful ways.

Course Format

This course contains downloadable online lessons (PDF) and a practice test. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the Spirit of MI and its role in fostering collaborative clinical relationships.
2. Identify examples of the core skills and four processes of MI. 
3. Differentiate between examples of change talk and sustain talk. 
4. Recognize common practitioner traps and describe strategies to help avoid them. 
5. Evaluate clinical considerations to determine how they may influence the use of MI.   

Course Syllabus

• Introduction 
  • Background and Overview of the Evidence Base
  • Why MI is important in clinical settings 
  • What MI is and What It’s Not
• The Spirit of MI 
  • Partnership
  • Acceptance
  • Compassion
  • Evocation
• Why The Spirit Matters
  • Case Example
• Change Talk and Sustain Talk
  • Change Talk
  • Sustain Talk
• Understanding Ambivalence
  • Ambivalence as a Normal Part of Change
  • The Role of Ambivalence in Stuckness
  • Strategies for Working with Ambivalence
  • Case Example
• Core MI Skills: OARS
  • Open-Ended Questions
  • Affirmations
  • Reflections
  • Summaries
  • Case Example
• The Four Processes of MI
  • Engaging 
  • Focusing
  • Evoking
  • Planning
  • Case Example
• Evoking Change Talk
  • Types of Change Talk
  • Techniques to Elicit Change Talk 
  • Case Example 
• MI Tools: Ask-Offer-Ask & Rulers
  • Ask-Offer-Ask
  • Importance and Confidence Rulers
  • Case Example 
• Clinical Issues and Common Challenges
  • Practitioner Traps 
  • When Clients Are Highly Resistant
  • Feeling Stuck as a Clinician
  • Cultural Considerations
  • Ethical Considerations
  • Safety Concerns 
  • Case Example
• Populations and Settings Where MI is Effective
  • Substance Use and Addiction
  • Primary Care and Health Behavior Change
  • Mental Health
  • Adolescents and Young Adults
  • Justice-Involved Populations
  • Perinatal and Reproductive Health
  • Caregiver Stress, Parenting, and Family Systems
  • Brief Interventions in Crisis or Acute Care Settings
  • Clinical Considerations Questions 
• Integrating MI Into Clinical Practice
  • Combining MI with Other Modalities 
  • Case Example 
  • Developing MI Competency Over Time
• Summary
  • Review of Key Concepts
  • Review of Strategies for Integrating MI into Clinical Care
  • Takeaways 
• Resources

Author

Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHC

Geralyn Dexter, PhD, LMHC (she/her/hers), is a psychology professor, researcher, writer, and licensed therapist with 15 years of clinical care experience. She earned a PhD in Psychology from National University, a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Florida. 

Dr. Dexter currently serves as a faculty team lead and psychology faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University. She supports individuals at risk for suicide as a clinical on-call supervisor and response services coordinator for an organization that conducts outreach to individuals expressing suicidality. Additionally, Dr. Dexter serves on the Medical Expert Board for Verywell Health and the Advisory Board for Upliftly. Her writing on mental health and substance use has been featured in national media outlets and publications, including Sage Publications, Mental Health America, Project Healthy Minds, Verywell Health, GoodRx, and more.

Accreditation Approval Statements

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Level Education Group, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0835.

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