Motivational Interviewing: Maximizing Engagement Toward Change in Clinical Practice
Friday, October 31, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. ET
*** POSTPONED | Watch for this webinar in 2026! ***
Live Webinar
Presentation Description
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, person-centered counseling style designed to elicit and strengthen an individual’s own motivation for change. This workshop will support clinical skills in exploring ambivalence, emphasizing the individual’s autonomy and commitment to change, and utilizing “the four processes” in change talk encounters. Participants will also learn to employ empathic listening and open-ended interviewing to encourage self-reflection and highlight the individual’s own reasons for making positive changes.
Presenter: Jon Ebert, Psy.D.
Dr. Ebert is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center & Associate Professor in Vanderbilt Department of Human & Organizational Development. He has over 25 years experience and expertise in clinical, consultation and training in the assessment and delivery of services to children and families who have experienced traumatic stress and mental health challenges. Dr. Ebert is the Director of the Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody (COE) which is part of a statewide network funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee to improve the public health by enhancing the quality of services provided to children in or at-risk of entering the Tennessee child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Dr. Ebert is the Director of the APA approved Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) and postdoctoral fellowship training program.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this workshop, the participant will be able to:
1) Apply Motivational Interviewing in practice.
2) Describe the four elements of the Motivational Interviewing spirit
3) Use Open-Ended Questions, Affirmations, Reflections, and Summaries (OARS) to facilitate readiness for change.
4) Explain the purpose of the four processes of Motivational Interviewing.
5) Differentiate between Discord and Sustain Talk
Continuing Education: 3 CE Hours Available
Target Audience: Psychotherapists from all disciplines: Psychologists, Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers, Graduate Students in Mental Health Fields, Pastoral Counselors & Faith-Based Therapists, Holistic & Integrative Mental Health Practitioners
Instruction Level: Appropriate for all levels
Schedule of the Day:
9:00-10:30 Motivational Skills Part I | Change Research, Ambivalence & Spirit of MI
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:15 Motivational Interviewing Skills Part II | OARS, Change Talk & Sustain Talk
Refund policy: In order to receive a refund, requests must be submitted prior to October 24, 2025.
For questions, including information about accommodations, please contact Amy Estes at ContinuingEd@Richmont.edu.
There is no known commercial support for this program.
Richmont Graduate University has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 4534. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Richmont Graduate University is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Richmont Graduate University is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Richmont Graduate University maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Presentation References:
Budhwani, H., & Naar, S. (2022). Training providers in motivational interviewing to promote behavior change. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 69(4), 779-794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2022.04.008
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). The evolution of motivational interviewing. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 51(6), 616-632. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000431
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Meeting in the middle: Motivational interviewing and self-determination theory. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-25
Pinto e Silva, T., Cunha, O., & Caridade, S. (2023). Motivational Interview Techniques and the Effectiveness of Intervention Programs With Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Systematic Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(4), 2691-2710. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221111472