MI is a well-established, evidence-based communication practice for addressing behavioral change across multiple settings and systems. This 35-hour group-paced certificate is for participants wanting to learn or relearn the knowledge and skills necessary to reach proficiency in the use of Motivational interviewing (MI).

Throughout the certificate course, you will be observing, practicing, and applying the person-centered MI skills of Engaging, Focusing, Evoking and Planning. At completion, participants will be able to demonstrate the requisite attitudes, knowledge and skills (competency) to practice MI with fidelity and begin the initial integration of MI into their routine practices.

In this group-paced online course, you will...

• Develop your competencies in MI through 12 hours of highly interactive live online webinars (divided up into four, 3-hour sessions).
• Participate in partner work, small and large group discussions, and instructor-guided practice.
• Enhance your learning with 23 hours of independent self-study on the Canvas online course site.
• Review pre-captured video lectures and workbook readings.
• Demonstrate your skill development through written assignments and practice recorded simulated client audio samples.

Evaluation of your progress will be measured with knowledge checks, skill observation with individualized fidelity feedback and a summative competency quiz. Participants who successfully complete all course requirements will earn the noncredit "MI Competency-Based Certificate" (see Overview: Extra Information below for more detail).

This program will be a mix of live online session(s) using the Zoom platform, and self-study in the Canvas online course site. As a learner of this course, you are required to purchase a copy of Building Motivational Interviewing Skills: A Practitioner Workbook, Second Edition by David B. Rosengren (2017) by the start of the class. Many online vendors sell this required textbook. Please look for ISBN number 9781462532063. It is generally available at Guildford Press or Amazon.

Course Schedule

This course includes 26 hours of self-study starting October 1 on the Canvas online course site and ending mid-December, 2024. The 4 live sessions will occur on Tuesdays on the following days, October 8, October 22, November 11, and December 3; 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

The literature on what it takes to master the evidence-based and complex communication style of MI is robust and clear. Practitioners need knowledge and skill lessons, practice, and most importantly, feedback on how well they are translating the lessons into actual practice. This course is designed to follow the recommendations thus providing participants with the experiences necessary to acquire this valuable skill.

Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe MI purpose, benefits and limitations.
• Identify key concepts, attitudes, processes, skills and strategies of MI.
• Describe Engaging tasks and behaviors.
• Identify MI-consistent attitudes for Engaging.
• Describe Focusing tasks and apply strategies for agenda setting.
• Recognize client change talk, sustain talk and discord.
• Describe Evoking tasks and apply strategies to cultivate change talk and soften sustain talk.
• Identify MI-consistent attitudes for Focusing and Evoking.
• Recognize client signals of readiness for Planning.
• Describe Planning tasks and apply strategies for goal setting and change planning.
• Identify MI-consistent attitudes for Planning.
• Design a personal MI competency-based professional development plan.

Level

Beginner - Intermediate