Working with Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing

Mixed feelings in counselling/psychotherapy are not something exceptional, but a normal part of the change process.

Our attitude to certain kinds of change (the ones we know are good for us, but which we don’t feel like doing), must by its very nature be characterised by ambivalence. Ambivalence about change is therefore a common issue in counselling & psychotherapy, indeed an unavoidable one.

Clients want things to change in their lives, and this is what leads them to engage in therapy. However, some changes are hard to make, and even harder to maintain, and many clients become less enthusiastic, even drop out of therapy, once they begin to realise the amount of work that is actually necessary in order to achieve lasting change.

They discover that willpower not enough, that direct persuasion is not productive, that readiness to change is not a fixed quality, and that we can influence, but not control, our deeper, more instinctual motivations and appetites. However, these discoveries don’t seem to stick, so this can be a repeating pattern.

The best approach to the issue of ambivalent motivation is still Motivational Interviewing, which was originally developed in response to addiction problems, but is now seen as relevant wherever there are difficult changes to be made. This workshop will provide participants with a working understanding of this approach, and how to integrate it into their practice.

Course Details

The Key Benefits of this course:
This workshop will enable participants to become more competent and confident in their ability to help clients to gain the motivation to make necessary changes in their lives. Participants will learn that MI is not a new set of skills/techniques as such, but a perspective we take – all our current skills of empathic listening, Socratic questioning, etc are as relevant as ever, but are harnessed in the service of exploring and strengthening motivation, which MI reminds us should never be taken for granted.

Venue: Dublin West
Duration: 1 Day
Next Start Date: Autumn 2013 - Please email info@pcicollege.ie or call 01-4642268 to add your name to the waiting list. 
Time: 9:30am-5:00pm
Award: Attendance Certificate

Eligibility:  Qualification in Counselling, Psychotherapy or other helping professionals with therapeutic experience and students currently in training.Entry is by application form.

Fees: €120 (€100 for Students and Graduates of PCI College)

Course Content:
The following principles of Motivational Interviewing will be explored:

1. Express Empathy
2. Develop Discrepancy
3. Roll With Resistance
4. Support Self-Efficacy

along with the following therapeutic steps:

• Giving ADVICE
• Removing BARRIERS
• Providing CHOICE
• Decreasing DESIRABILITY
• Practicing EMPATHY
• Providing FEEDBACK
• Clarifying GOALS
• Active HELPING

MI also incorporates the Stages of Change model from Prochaska & Di Clemente.This model suggests that people normally move back and forward between the stages many time before achieving lasting change, that we can only help someone if we work with them at their current stage (not the one which we or they think they should be at), and that we can only move forward one stage at a time.

The Determination/Preparation stage is especially crucial, as it emphasises realistic planning and expectations, and is exactly the stage that is given insufficient attention by most people. It is worth emphasising with clients that there may need to be substantial change in their overall lifestyle, and in specific daily routines and rituals, in order to achieve changes in the areas they have targeted.

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