Motivational Interviewing Training

Provided by Norfolk County Council in collaboration with Change Grow Live Norfolk.

Please note: this is a full two-day course. Kindly only register if you can attend both days.
You will be expected to confirm your attendance prior to the event. You will receive an email asking you to confirm. If you do not respond in good time, you may lose you space.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at breaks. As this is a free event, we are unfortunately unable to provide lunch. Please remember to make alternative arrangements. There is a cafe on site providing coffee and sandwiches.

The MI training focuses on supporting people to make important changes in their lives, with a specific emphasis on substance use. It is suitable for anyone in a support role.

Dr Charlotte Hilton, a psychologist with expertise in behaviour change and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), will deliver this two-day training programme.

The training provides a good understanding of motivational interviewing (MI) and how to apply it. It also explores why MI is particularly helpful in assisting people through change and growth. Additionally, it offers insights into blending MI with other approaches such as trauma-informed therapy, CBT, and solution-focused therapy.

Core elements of Motivational Interviewing:

(MI is practised with an underlying spirit or way of being with people)

• Partnership. MI is a collaborative process. The MI practitioner is an expert in helping people change; people are the experts of their own lives.

• Evocation. People have within themselves the resources and skills needed for change. MI draws out the person’s priorities, values, and wisdom to explore reasons for change and support success.

• Acceptance. The MI practitioner takes a nonjudgmental stance, seeks to understand the person’s perspectives and experiences, expresses empathy, highlights strengths, and respects a person’s right to make informed choices about changing or not changing.

• Compassion. The MI practitioner actively promotes and prioritizes clients’ welfare and well-being selflessly.

• MI has core skills of OARS, attending to the language of change and the artful exchange of information:

• Open questions draw out and explore the person’s experiences, perspectives, and ideas. Evocative questions guide the client to reflect on how change may be meaningful or possible. Information is often offered within a structure of open questions (Elicit-Provide-Elicit) that first explore what the person already knows, then seek permission to offer what the practitioner knows and then explore the person’s response.

• Affirmation of strengths, efforts, and past successes helps to build the person’s hope and confidence in their ability to change.

• Reflections are based on careful listening and trying to understand what the person is saying, by repeating, rephrasing or offering a deeper guess about what the person is trying to communicate. This is a foundational skill of MI and how we express empathy.

• Summarizing ensures shared understanding and reinforces key points made by the client.

Terms and conditions

Please only book a place if you are certain you can attend. Places are limited and absences impact on others that could benefit from this training.

When you have booked via Eventbrite, we will also ask you to confirm your space by email a week before the event. This is to ensure that you can cancel in good time should you need to.

Booking your place confirms you have approved this with your Line Manager.

We do not accept bulk bookings or booking on someone else's behalf. If you think someone on your team would like to book, please send them the Eventbrite link so they can book their own place in their own name.

Please fill out the order form in full. You may risk losing your space if the form is not completed.

If you book a place and do not attend without informing us or your cancellation, this may incurr a fee of £100 for your organisation. Please cancel in good time.

We reserve the right to fine your organisation £100 for last minute cancellations.

If you do need to cancel, please do so in good time by emailing katie.docwra@cgl.org.uk and cancel your place via Eventbrite as soon as possible so that others may have the opportunity to attend.

Photos may be taken at the event and a list of all the professional attendees, their organisations and email addresses may be emailed to all after the event for their own purposes. Please inform your trainer on the day if you do not wish to be added.