Motivational interviewing: an introduction to spirit and skills

There is a critical need to provide evidence-based psychotherapy training to child and adolescent psychiatrists and trainees. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a humanistic, client-centered, and evidence-based psychotherapy designed for behavior change that can be adopted for use in almost any clinical setting. This Workshop will provide hands-on training in MI theory and fundamental skills. This full-day Workshop is designed to introduce MI skills to beginners or those with minimal experience with MI. The Workshop will highlight the 4 essential processes of MI: 1) engaging; 2) focusing; 3) evoking; and 4) planning. Emphasis will be placed on core skills including: 1) open-ended questions; 2) affirmations; 3) reflections; 4) summaries; and 5) inform and advise. Instruction will be provided by rotational lecture presentations, interactive exercises, role-play, and viewing of audio and video samples. Resources for further training in MI, as well as opportunities to incorporate this training in completing the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Improvement in Medical Practice (PIP) module will be discussed during this Workshop. By the end of the Workshop, participants will be able to apply basic MI skills to elicit change talk within clients and to handle client ambivalence. Moreover, even beginner-level trainees will become inspired by their progress to pursue further psychotherapy training. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can become very effective at psychotherapy. MI is an evidence-based therapy that is effective and useful regardless of the clinical setting, benefitting physicians, patients, and families alike.