Motivational Interviewing is a style of interaction that is client-driven and supports individuals in the healing and change process. There is significant research in the health, education and criminal justice fields that supports the use of motivational interviewing in addressing the needs of victim/survivors and offenders, providing support and helping to facilitate change. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a trauma-informed interviewing/interacting technique that focuses on creating supportive, meaningful and strategic conversations. This advanced training will first provide the context of evidence-based practices within which to have these conversations and will leave the participants with practical skills to engage in short and effective conversations to initiate, or facilitate, the process of behavior-change and effective support. We will focus on change talk, working with resistance, and exploring and resolving ambivalence. These skills are efficacious and are considered an evidence-based practice in criminal justice.
Participants will leave the training with:
o At least three intermediate skills they can use immediately to engage someone in a conversation about behavior change
o A deeper understanding about the barriers we inadvertently create in conversations about change
o Enhanced efficacy with developing versus prescribing ambivalence and discrepancy as motivators of change
o An ability to elicit change talk and work through the four phases of MI
Training well received by attendees with an overall score of 4.63 on a 5 point scale. Information contained in our report and attachments submitted.