This training provides an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based counseling method to help people resolve ambivalent feelings in order to find the internal motivation they need to change behavior (e.g. engage in substance use treatment).Through hands-on activities and exercises, this training examines the reasons why people feel motivated to make big changes in their lives. We will focus on understanding the principles of Motivational Interviewing to elicit behavior change. We will review the four processes of MI (Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning) and then delve into the use of MI methods - using Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflective Listening, and Summarization (OARS) - to help clients explore and resolve ambivalence about behavior change and move toward action.
