Which Course is Right For Me?
Read below for more info on the three levels of classes through MI Academy.
LEVEL 1:
Foundations of Motivational Interviewing (12 hours)
If you need a refresher in Motivational Interviewing (it’s been a while!), or are NEW to MI, this course is for you.
Because Motivational Interviewing has been around for a hot minute (since the early 1980’s!), many folks have had some exposure to MI. Maybe you attended a lunch-n-learn, or workshop at a conference. Maybe someone at your agency presented an overview of MI, or you took a self-paced short seminar online. Perhaps you have heard of the ‘OARS’ skills but don’t feel confident in each one of those skills. You may have the sense you use Motivational Interviewing, but aren’t sure how to describe exactly what that means or when to use it. This course is for you if any of those are true!
You will complete this course with CONFIDENCE, able to say, “I know what Motivational Interviewing is; I am comfortable using each of the OARS skills; I know how the spirit of MI & OARS & 4 Tasks fit together; and, I know when to pick up the tool of MI (and when not to)!”
Click here for a week-by-week breakdown
- Module 1: Spirit of MI. The absolute foundation of Motivational Interviewing is the spirit of MI. I like thinking of “spirit” as the attitude we bring to the helping relationship. In this module, we will explore the confounding complexities of behavior change, roadblocks to listening, stages of change & feel the difference between persuasion versus Motivational Interviewing.
- Module 2: Essential Components of MI. In this module, we go over the foundational components of MI: the Righting Reflex, Spirit, OARS skills, and the 4 Processes. OARS are the micro skills of MI, and stand for Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries. We will also discuss 3 styles of communication, the history of Motivational Interviewing & the research base. The most important of the OARS skills, Reflective listening, begins in this module.
- Module 3: Engagement with OARS! In this session, we will talk about pitfalls and skills related to the first process of MI, Engagement. Time is spent covering simple versus complex reflections, and how to begin to guide conversation with reflections.
- Module 4: Rowing with OARS! OARS skill development continues! Even MORE reflection practice is covered as we explore 7 types of complex reflections. Then, we move into Affirmation skill discussion and practice, as we identify client strengths to increase self-efficacy. Reflections and Affirmations are “simple, but not easy” skills that are essential to the art of Motivational Interviewing. We cover the differences between Affirming and cheerleading and help set YOU up for increasing your affirmations with clients.
- Module 5: Focusing with OARS! We discuss Focusing, the second process of MI. We also go over Agenda Mapping, and utilizing Summaries to consolidate and guide conversation. See a MI demo in a brief encounter. In this module, we practice writing summaries while learning about the importance of Change Talk. What’s Change Talk anyhow? The acronym DARN-CAT is introduced, as we learn how to tune our ears to catch client Change Talk.
- Module 6: Evoking & Planning with OARS! OARS skills practice continues as we explore Open-ended questions, scaling questions, and strategic methods for evoking Change Talk. The third process of MI, Evoking, is explored as we learn to LISTEN for change talk, REFLECT change talk, and PULL FOR MORE. 10 Methods for evoking Change Talk are covered. We address methods for “rolling with resistance,” so you will gain confidence in tackling those ‘difficult’ client conversations. Learn the common pitfalls to the fourth process of MI, the Planning Process, and ways to create effective change plans with (not for!) your clients! Time is also spent providing overview of MI provider goals, and additional learning resources.
Values Bonus Resource: Understand the importance of values in MI, including developing discrepancy as one source of motivation for change.
In addition to the 6 modules of video content, handouts and practice exercises, participants have access to 6 hours of live virtual MI skills practice sessions with MINT trainers. During these sessions, more skills practice in OARS will be covered as well as Q&A. Participants have 12 weeks to complete the modules, and 12 weeks of access to the rotating 6-hours of live skills training.
Level 1 Official Objectives
- Explain the theoretical basis, history, and research basis of MI
- Describe the four elements of the MI spirit: compassion, autonomy, empowerment, and collaboration
- List the three Styles of Communication and explain the applications of each
- Assess client readiness through the Stages of Change
- Apply methods for working with clients in the precontemplation stage of change
- Identify the Fixing Reflex & the 12 Roadblocks to communication
- Demonstrate seven types of complex reflections
- Apply guiding with reflections to client conversations
- Identify the differences between simple and complex affirmations
- Apply methods of affirmations with various client scenarios
- Describe and apply skills in each of the four tasks of MI: Engagement, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning
- Demonstrate MI core communication skills: Open Ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries
OARS: Explain the differences between Open and Close-ended questions
OARS: Identify the differences between simple and complex reflections
OARS: Explain the benefits of reflective responses over questions
OARS: Analyze the differences between affirming and praise
OARS: Create effective summaries that consolidate and guide client conversation
LEVEL 2
MI Intermediate Skills Lab (15 hours)
If you have taken basic MI training in recent years, you are eligible to sign up for this intermediate course! (A basic course in MI is typically 10 or more hours. If you have not yet or need a solid refresher, join our Foundations course first!). After a quick review, we move into experiential practice. We will be practicing the OARS skills in each of the 4 Tasks of MI in each session.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do you know the basics of the OARS skills?
- Are you able to describe the essential elements of the spirit of MI?
- Do you know a bit about the four tasks of MI and how it all comes together around evoking Change Talk?
Click here for a week-by-week breakdown
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Week 1: We will start with a super-fast review of MI, & watch some “MI in action.” Then, we will jump into OARS skills practice within the first process of MI, Engagement. We will explore the pitfalls of the Engagement process, as well as methods for effective, rapid (or swift) engagement.
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Week 2: OARS skills practice continues! How do we consolidate and guide conversation using OARS around specific change goals? In this session, we will continue experiential practice in the second process of MI, Focusing. Again, we explore the pitfalls of this process, as well as focusing techniques with multiple target behaviors and agenda setting.
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Week 3: Continued OARS experiential practice in the third process of MI, Evoking. We want to camp out and help people connect more deeply to their own personal change talk. We will practice listening for differences between change talk and sustain talk, and methods to elicit and reinforce change talk.
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Week 4: So when a client FINALLY has enough fuel for change, it’s time to transition to the Planning process in MI. How do we create an effective change plan? We will continue to hone our OARS practice as we dial into the fourth process of MI, Planning. You’ll have a chance to both guide and be on the receiving end of creating a MI change plan in this session! You will learn how to identify client signs for change plan readiness, ways to develop effective change plans, and address planning issues that arise in MI consistent manner.
- This course also includes access to a 2-hour self-paced Ethics & MI training, where you will learn when to apply MI and when to choose other styles of communication. You will also learn ethical dilemmas present in each of the 4 processes of MI.
Level 2 Official Objectives
- Demonstrate MI core communication skills (OARS)
- Develop MI skills and strategies specific to each of the four tasks of MI: Engagement, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning
- Engagement Task: Practice demonstrating effective empathy
- Engagement Task: Demonstrate engagement techniques with difficult-to-engage with clients
- Focusing Task: Practice collaborative focusing techniques while supporting client autonomy
Focusing Task: Demonstrate the use of agenda mapping and methods for focusing on conversation with multiple target behaviors
Focusing Task: Demonstrate agenda setting and bringing up difficult topics with clients - Evoking Task: Explain the difference between change talk and sustain talk
Evoking Task: Describe ten methods to elicit and reinforce change talk
Evoking Task: Demonstrate the applications of Ask-Offer-Ask to enhance collaboration and support autonomy - Planning Task: Identify client signs for change plan readiness
Planning Task: Practice ways to develop effective change plans
Planning Task: Apply Brief Action Planning questions to planning with clients
LEVEL 3
MI Uplevel Advanced (12 hours)
Are you ready to sign up for an advanced course in MI?
We recommend all participants have completed a quality MI introductory workshop (@12 hours) with a MINT-member trainer within the last few years, and/OR an intermediate course, OR had some kind of recent refresher via training, book study, or other practice recently. We will hit the ground running!
Questions to ask yourself:
- Are you comfortable jumping into role-or-real plays facilitating change conversations utilizing the OARS skills?
- Are you interested in individualized feedback on your sessions?
- Are you open to feedback from peers?
Practice and feedback are strong components of this course. We are not teaching MI content, but rather exploring the nuances and ‘gray’ areas of MI while exploring fidelity. If you don’t meet the above criteria, try our intermediate Skills Lab (link) course first. We run our live virtual intermediate MI Skills Lab courses 3-4x a year.
What is MI Fidelity?
MI fidelity is the threshold of demonstrated skills required by providers in all of those amazing evidence-based practice research trials. In this course, we are going to look at MI through the lens of the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding system. This is not a course in how to code, but rather utilizing the coding system as a personal learning tool. Through this lens, you will learn ‘what is MI’ and ‘what is not,’ how to listen for the global elements used to code MI, as well as explore the provider behavior counts, with particular focus on Reflection to Question ratio. You'll learn what the MI-adherent and MI-non-adherent behaviors are (what we are striving toward, and what we're avoiding). We will listen to lots of good and not-so-good MI sessions to tune our ears to the complex elements of MI. And we will do lots of practice, because learning a new skill takes practice. Individual feedback is a strong component in this course.
In addition to receiving coaching and guidance during our group sessions, you will be provided with software to record your own sessions. Using artificial intelligence MI coding software, you can record and gain instant coded feedback on as many of your MI sessions as you'd like during the course.
BONUS! It's a HIPAA compliant platform for telehealth if you want to record sessions with clients, with their written consent, of course). Listening to your OWN sessions and receiving this coded feedback will give you real data about where you are on your journey toward MI fidelity.
Click here for a week-by-week breakdown
Week 1: We will briefly orient to the MI framework, OARS, 4 Processes & Change Talk. We will look at fidelity through one of the MI coding systems, the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI). What does it really look like to be displaying the MITI global domains of Partnership & Empathy over the course of a MI conversation? (Yes, you can MEASURE empathy!). We will also listen to MI examples and explore ways we can reach fidelity with MI Partnership & Empathy. Then, we will complete an in-session Real Play that you will have the opportunity to record (only if you want!). Throughout this course, you can upload as many of your MI practice sessions as you’d like to the HIPPA-compliant Lyssn platform that provides MI coded feedback on your work. At the end of each session, you will set personal learning goals for your MI practice.
Week 2: MI is a guiding style of communication and there is a focus around which we are supporting the resolution of ambivalence. We will explore and practice ways to artfully guide the conversation toward change. This week we will explore the other two MITI global domains: Cultivating Change Talk & Softening Sustain Talk. Again, we will listen to MI examples and explore ways to reach fidelity in these areas. Another opportunity for real-time real play practice occurs with the focus this week on Evoking Change Talk skills.
Week 3: Through the MITI, we look at the interviewer behavioral counts that support MI fidelity. We will get really good at assessing R to Q ratio (Reflection to Question), while listening for those evocative Open-Ended Questions and practicing advanced change-oriented reflective listening. After all the good and not-so-good MI demos we have reviewed, it’s time to use our newfound lens to look at our own MI work. We will explore self-assessment as we continue to practice, practice, practice with one another. We encouraged continued individual practice & coded feedback! As Bill Miller said, if you are learning how to play the piano, you don’t just tell your piano teacher how you think you are doing, you play for them! This is your chance for individualized coaching feedback on your MI learning progress!
Week 4: Pulling it all together! We've explored MI fidelity through the MITI lens, looked at our own sessions and progress, and done lots of practice, practice practice! You know we will practice some more! Plus, we will enjoy watching perhaps the best MI Real Play ever recorded and discussing the art of MI in practice. There will be a chance to set MI learning & practice goals to take with you on the road, and practice affirming yourself and each other on the amazing work you’ve done!
Level 3 Official Objectives:
- Demonstrate OARS skills within each of the four tasks of MI: Engagement, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning
- Identify the internal experiences and external expressions of the MI spirit element of compassion
- Identify MI fidelity utilizing MITI coding system behavior counts
- Apply MITI fidelity measures to recorded audio sessions
- Session 2
- Identify the internal experiences and external expressions of the MI spirit element of acceptance
- Identify MI fidelity utilizing MITI (Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity) coding system global domains
- Measure partnership & empathy spirit elements of Motivational Interviewing utilizing the MITI system
- Demonstrate an empathetic & partnering approach across the four tasks of MI
- Session 3
- Identify the internal experiences and external expressions of the MI spirit element of collaboration
- Explain three MI adherent and three non-MI adherent provider behaviors
- Demonstrate MI practice in giving feedback via Ask-Offer-Ask tool
- Session 4
- Identify the internal experiences and external expressions of the MI spirit element of empowerment
- Measure interviewer methods via the MITI system for softening sustain talk and cultivating change talk
- Apply MI methods with sustain talk & change talk
- Discuss methods for cultivating the longevity of MI spirit in practice
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