Motivational Interviewing: Strategies for Lifestyle and Behavioural Changes

Overview

Key facts

• This 3-day workshop in Motivational Interviewing: Strategies for Lifestyle and Behavioural Changes at Middlesex University is appropriate for practitioners who are in a role that has a focus on supporting others to make and sustain healthy behaviour changes. 
• It is a semi directive technique that uses questions and support to help people set their own goals, see discrepancies between where they are and where they would like to be and develop strategies to move forward.

• Motivational interviewing is more of an interpersonal style than a distinct ‘technique.’ The approach has a guiding philosophy focused on what triggers change. 
• The techniques used may include seeking to understand a person’s frame of reference through reflective listening, expressing acceptance, recognising the patient’s degree of readiness to change, eliciting and reinforcing the patient’s own self motivational statements and affirming the patient’s freedom of choice and self-direction.

• This course will begin to develop knowledge and skills in motivational interviewing and seeks to support practitioners to work towards improving patients /service user outcomes through training in how to apply this method. 

• The course lays the foundations for further skills development. Participants should note that proficiency in motivational interviewing requires ongoing skills practise in their own practice settings and further skills development through ongoing training, coaching and feedback.