If you're a counselor, or someone working to help people change their behaviors - drugs or alcohol addictions, and a range of other behaviors as well - you should consider Motivational Interviewing. And a great way to learn about this proven approach would be to attend a three day intensive workshop at San Francisco's Fort Mason this fall.

This workshop will introduce participants to the theory, principles, and skills of Motivational Interviewing and related motivation-enhancing behavior change approaches. Participants will be guided through a sequence of learning activities to explore and shape counseling practice behavior, and to initiate a process for developing proficiency in Motivational Interviewing. Learning activities will include: real-life demonstrations, video-tape examples, real-plays, case studies, small group exercises, and significant participant practice with feedback.

This workshop is appropriate for helping professionals with no prior or minimal to moderate exposure, and in the role of counseling clients/patients to make and sustain healthy behavior changes.

A little background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a person-centered, guiding method of communication and counseling to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. First described by William Miller (1983), and later elaborated in the classic book, "Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change" (1991, 2002, 2013), MI offers a common sense, evidence-based approach for supporting individuals in making and sustaining behavior changes. Originally developed in the drug and alcohol field, more than 300 clinical trials demonstrate the efficacy of MI across a range of populations, target behaviors, and medical conditions.

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