Motivational Interviewing Training Overview

The Southcentral Foundation Learning Institute is offering the opportunity to enroll in SCF’s upcoming Motivational Interviewing training. Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based counseling approach that uses directive, customer-centered interaction to promote behavioral change by helping customers explore and resolve ambivalence. At SCF, we use Motivational Interviewing to match behavior change to enhance motivation, address barriers, and facilitate change by focusing on what the customer-owner wants, and is willing and able to do. The process is customer-driven, can be used in many settings, and matches with multiple health behavior changes, e.g. substance use, exercise, and diabetes management.

Participants will learn alongside SCF’s providers in a course designed to teach healthcare providers about Motivational Interviewing and why it is regarded as the most effective approach to partnering with people as they choose to make positive behavioral changes, and how to engage people in conversations designed to assist them in choosing behavioral change aligned with their own values and goals.

In the course, you will learn about many topics related to Motivational Interviewing, including but not limited to:

• The spirit of Motivational Interviewing
• The basic skills of Motivational Interviewing (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, summarizing)
• The five stages of change and the characteristics that define each
• The four types of resistance you may encounter (reluctance, rebellion, resignation, and rationalization) and how to roll with resistance
• Techniques to balance advocacy and inquiry in conversations that can lead to behavioral health change
• The ways in which Motivational Interviewing can positively impact customer wellness

The course is taught in both large and small groups and includes time for participants to practice the techniques taught with instructors and other class participants. This is a two-day course taught on SCF’s campus in Anchorage, and participants are eligible for 15 continued medical education (CME) hours. Southcentral Foundation is a National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) approved education provider and the continuing education credits provided for this course will be accepted toward national credentialing by the NCC AP. Visit the Motivational Interviewing training page for more information or to sign up. We hope to see you at the training!