Motivational Interviewing Pts I & II: A 2-Day Event
Join us for this 2-day training to learn how to engage people in change. Held on September 9th & October 8th. Open to all disciplines.
Date and time
Location
Summit County Public Health
1867 West Market Street Akron, OH 44313About this event
- Event lasts 7 hours 30 minutes
- Free venue parking
THIS 2-DAY TRAINING IS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 & OCTOBER 8, 2025. YOU MUST ATTEND BOTH DAYS.
Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered, evidenced-based treatment with a broad range of applications. It is a form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change and assist individuals in accessing their intrinsic motivation to change behaviors that contradict their essential values and interfere with the achievement of their life goals.
Motivational Interviewing Part 1, “Engaging People in Conversations About Change,” introduces participants to the philosophical roots and essential constructs of the model. Participants will engage in skill-building exercises designed to assist them in utilizing strategies to respond to resistance in work practice settings for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
Motivational Interviewing Part 2, “Responding to Resistance & Strengthening Commitment to Change,” reviews and builds upon Part 1. Participants will learn specific techniques to recognize, evoke, and strengthen change talk, as well as consolidate a person’s commitment to change.
Pt 1 Objectives:
1. Define Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its core elements.
2. Describe provider behaviors that disengage people from behavior change discussions.
3. Explain the use of open-ended questions and affirmations in the process of engaging people in behavior change.
4. Practice reflections and summaries when engaging people with a severe mental illness and/or substance use in behavior change discussions.
5. Explain how to provide information and advice in a MI-consistent manner.
Pt. II Objectives:
1. Repeat core motivational interviewing concepts and discuss associated practice experiences.
2. Explain how to use focusing to prioritize the person’s goal for the interaction.
3. Recognize language that favors staying the same versus making a change.
4. Discuss and practice strategies to evoke and reinforce language in favor of change when working with people who have severe mental illness and/or a substance use disorder.
5. Identify techniques for strengthening commitment to and planning for change.
Frequently asked questions
You will enter Door A. The event is in the SCPH's Training Room. Turn right when you enter and the room will be the first door on the left, across from the fish bowl.
Lunch will be provided. If you have a dietary restriction, you will need to let us know at the time of registration. We will make effort to honor your restriction, but cannot guarantee this. We are not able to accommodate dietary preferences.
The course has been approved for continuing education credits through the Ohio Chemical Dependency Board and the Counselor, Social Worker and MFT Board. You will need to provide your license number at the time of registration. Certificates are provided at the end of each day.