Motivational Interviewing: From Basic to Advanced

Mark your calendars for a 9-month intensive Motivational Interviewing (MI) course for Social Workers, Community Health Workers, other Traditional Health Workers, substance abuse counselors, case managers, and other roles.

Conducted in an interactive, online format, we will take you through the eight tasks of MI, from understanding the “spirit of MI” and basic counseling skills, to recognizing and evoking change talk and addressing resistance, to supporting community members in planning, implementing, and sustaining personal change. Each month, we will meet for 2-4 hours to learn a new task. You will have time to practice it in the field, and then we’ll reconvene later in the month to review and strengthen your skills. By the end, you will have a solid understanding of the concepts of MI as well as new skills to put into practice in your work and personal life.

Upon completion of this training, participants will be fully grounded in the skills and knowledge to use Motivational Interviewing in an effective, ethical manner to assist community members to move toward and accomplish changes they wish to see in their lives.

The training sessions are scheduled as follows. All times are Pacific Time.

Month 1: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing and the Spirit of MI

Session 1: October 12, 2020  1-3 PM PST

You will conduct a self-assessment of your knowledge of Motivational Interviewing (MI) so you can guide your own learning and get the most out of the course. Through lecture, discussion and group activities, you will learn the four foundational values of MI, and about Change Theory and the stages of change and how they are integrated into the process of MI.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: October 26, 2020  1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 2: Basic Counseling Skills (OARS)

Session 1: November 9, 2020  1-3 PM PST

You will learn and practice the basic counseling skills of effective listening, open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections and summarizing, as well as the importance of avoiding problem solving when working with community members.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: November 23, 2020  1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 3: Recognizing Change Talk and Sustain Talk

Session 1: December 7, 2020  1-3 PM PST

Through lecture, group discussion and hands-on activities, learn to identify and code indicators of readiness for change in community members’ talk. We will also explore the role of sustain talk and ambivalence in the stages of change.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: December 21, 2020 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 4: Evoking – Eliciting and Strengthening Change Talk

Session 1: January 11, 2021 1-3 PM PST

Using demonstrations, role play, and interactive practice, learn the skills to elicit and strengthen change talk to help community members move toward the commitment to and action for the change they desire.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: January 25, 2021 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 5: Sustain Talk – Rolling with Resistance

Session 1: February 8, 2021 1-3 PM PST

Through lecture, discussion and interactive group activities, learn about the role resistance plays in keeping community members safe. You will also better understand how your response can either strengthen or lessen resistance and learn skills and strategies overcome it.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: February 22, 2021 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 6: Developing a Change Plan

Session 1: March 8, 2021 1-3 PM PST

Through group interaction, lecture and discussion, learn the skills and strategies to promote community members’ confidence and self-efficacy to build a plan for personal change. Specifically, learn how to empower community members to develop a plan in which they take ownership for development and implementation.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: March 22, 2021 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 7: Consolidating Change and Commitment

Session 1: April 12, 2021 1-3 PM PST

Through lecture, discussion and interactive activities, learn to assess community members’ commitment to making personal change. In addition, learn strategies to assist community members’ movement forward in the process of change.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: April 26, 2021 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 8: Transition and Blending

Session 1: May 10, 2021 1-3 PM PST

Through lecture, discussion and interactive group activities, learn the relative merits of using MI versus other therapeutic modalities and strategies. Also, learn to assess the situation and shift seamlessly from one modality to another as needed.

(between session 1&2, participants are invited to practice the concepts from session 1 in their work setting and daily life)

Session 2: May 24, 2021 1-3 PM PST

In a supportive group process, review and reflect on your practice, problem solve areas of concern and strengthen your skills. Students will be invited to conduct live practice and use the process of coding to assess one another’s implementation of MI skills taught in the previous session.

Month 9: The Final Session - Putting it All Together:  June 14, 2021 1-4 PM PST

Using in-depth scenarios and coding worksheets, students will review and practice the full range of MI skills. Complete the course by conducting a self-assessment to determine areas of progress and develop a plan for further growth.

The course is approved for 35 CEUs from the Oregon Chapter of NASW.

Cost: $850. Partial scholarships may be available for THWs - Please contact us.

About NEON:

Our mission at NEON is to create a healthier Eastern Oregon. We accomplish this by reducing barriers for both residents and the systems that support their health. We are connectors, innovators and experts. We connect people and organizations to one another and to resources they need to meet their goals. Since 2012 we have been training traditional health workers and other front-line staff in health behavioral health, social services and other settings in the knowledge and skills necessary to provide quality service, maintain professional boundaries and practice self-care.

About our trainers:

Lisa Ladendorff, LCSW, CHW

Lisa received her Master of Social Work from Walla Walla University. She has significant post graduate training in Interpersonal Neurobiology, and is certified in EMDR, DBT, and a variety of other evidence-based practices, including Tobacco Cessation. She has over 25 years’ experience in Community Mental Health, Public Health, and Private Practice. She has over 20 years of experience as a clinical supervisor for all levels of Behavioral Health Staff. Since 2012 Lisa has been involved in training social workers, health coaches, and traditional health workers in a variety of in person and virtual formats. She specializes in topics of addictions, compassion fatigue, the impacts of trauma, trauma informed parenting, trauma informed customer service, ethics, suicide prevention, community health worker certification training, and health equity. She has both studied and practiced Motivational Interviewing since the 1990s and began conducting trainings on the topic in 2012. She serves as NEON’s Director of Training and Business Development as well as serving as a part time Clinical Director to a local Community Mental Health Agency.

Connie Sherrard, MSW, CHW

Connie holds a BA in Studio Art and certification in Elementary Education from Beloit College and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Planning, Administration and Management from Portland State University. At NEON, Connie develops and delivers trainings on a variety of topics for Community Health Workers and other front-line staff in health, behavioral health and other organizations addressing health equity and social determinants of health. Prior to her employment at NEON, Connie worked in a variety of nonprofit and public settings dedicated to serving vulnerable populations. She has developed and managed programs serving economically disadvantaged families and children, including education, case management, after school programs, and basic needs services. Connie also spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she learned the concepts and methods of Popular Education, which NEON embraces as an effective, empowering method of training. 

For more information, contact Connie Sherrard.

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Attendance policy:

Participants may miss up to 3 sessions, but for every session missed, they must do the following prior to the start of the next scheduled session:

· Watch the recording of the missed session

· Complete any reading and/or exercises (if practicable)

· Write a reflection about the topic (up to one page)

Missing more than 3 sessions will result in withdrawal from the course.

Payment policy:

Payment is to be paid in full at time of registration.

Refunds will be given if requested at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the course. Within two weeks of the start of the course, a 50% refund will be given.

No refunds will be given once the course has begun.

Scholarships may be available based on location of the participant, their employment, and funds available. Scholarship approval is at NEON’s discretion.

Withdrawal policy:

If a participant withdraws from the course, they may request CEUs for the sessions they completed successfully.

NEON Training Program Grievance Policy:

When a grievance arises pertaining to the NEON training program, it should be directed to the Training Program Director either by email, phone, letter, or by filling out the attached form. If the subject of the grievance is the training director, the grievance should be directed to the NEON Executive Director. Ideally, the grievance will be addressed and resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction at that point. If the parties cannot resolve the grievance at that level, it will move up the chain of authority through the Executive Director and, if necessary, to the NEON Board of Directors. The Board of Directors’ decision in the matter is final.

Grievances will be documented and retained for 7 years and a copy will be given to the complainant. Complaints that arrive at the Board of Directors level will also be reported to ASWB for their information and review.

Grievances include but are not limited to complaints about course content, speakers or facilities, training logistics and nonreceipt of certificates. Potential remedies include a refund of registration fees or credit for future training registration.

NEON training staff and the Executive Director, as appropriate, will review all grievances to determine if internal policies and procedures can be improved, personnel correction or action needs to be taken, or if training content needs to be revised. If the resolution results in personnel correction or action, that information is confidential and will not be shared with the complainant.