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Whose Motivation Is it Anyway? Using Motivational Interviewing to Guide, Not Control

Wednesday, July 29th, 2026   2:00 PM EDT -5:00 PM EDT
Crystal Rozelle-Bennett
$59.99 USD

Participants will examine the spirit of Motivational Interviewing —collaboration, acceptance, evocation, and compassion—and explore how practitioner communication styles, assumptions, and the “righting reflex” can either support or impede client engagement. Grounded in evidence-informed theories and frameworks, this training emphasizes practical strategies for engaging clients, rolling with resistance, eliciting change talk, and supporting readiness for change across stages.

Through applied examples, reflective exercises, and structured practice, participants will strengthen their ability to guide conversations that honor autonomy, reduce resistance, and promote sustainable, client-driven change in diverse practice settings.

About the Presenter

Crystal is an educator, an advocate, a survivor, and a self-proclaimed thriver! For the past 25 years she has been driven by her personal experiences of trauma to elevate and amplify the voices of individuals and communities, to promote healing and opportunities to move from surviving to thriving. Crystal has worked alongside professionals to create trauma informed, culturally inclusive and person-centered spaces. Her work experiences include advocacy within the child welfare system, oversight of child and youth programs, crisis hotline response, delivery of community based mental health services and implementing trauma informed strategies and programs for school districts. Throughout these experiences she has had the opportunity to gain essential knowledge and skills related to individual, community and collective trauma. She has been called upon to provide training, coaching, consultation and keynote presentations across the nation in the subject areas of Human Trafficking, Suicide Prevention, Motivational Interviewing, Community and Collective Care, Anti-oppressive and Culturally Responsive Service Provision, Child Trauma & Maltreatment and Racial Trauma

Learning Objectives:

  1. Analyze how practitioner assumptions, communication styles, and the “righting reflex” contribute to client resistance and disengagement within helping relationships.
  2. Differentiate between directing, guiding, and following communication styles and evaluate their appropriate use within a Motivational Interviewing framework.
  3. Apply the core components of the MI spirit—collaboration, acceptance, evocation, and compassion—to real‑world client scenarios to strengthen therapeutic alliance and autonomy. Assess client readiness for change by identifying change talk, sustain talk, and indicators of importance and confidence using MI‑consistent strategies.
  4. Construct MI‑aligned responses to resistance using reflective listening, emphasis on choice, discrepancy development, and strategic shifting of focus.
  5. Design a collaborative, client‑centered action plan by integrating evocation techniques, Ask‑Tell‑Ask, and SMART goal principles.

Agenda:

Foundations of Motivational Interviewing (60 minutes)

Welcome, training overview, and framing MI as a collaborative conversation style

(Lecture, reflective activity and large group discussion)

Motivation, Assumptions, and Resistance (30 minutes)

Identifying how assumptions influence practice decisions

How practitioner behavior can unintentionally increase resistance

The righting reflex and Thomas Gordon’s roadblocks

(Lecture and Small‑group activity)

Engaging, Focusing, and Rolling with Resistance (60 minutes)

Engaging clients through OARS and empathic listening

Focusing conversations using agenda mapping and evocation

Rolling with resistance: reflection, choice, discrepancy, and shifting focus

(Applied case discussion, Lecture and large group conversation)

Evoking Change Talk and Planning for Action (30 minutes)

Identifying and strengthening change talk vs. sustain talk

Change language

Tools for change

Planning for change: SMART goals, confidence building, and support

(Lecture, large group discussion and Self‑reflection activity and integration into practice)

This workshop offers 3 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • CE You! is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.
    CE You! maintains responsibility for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0122.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0275.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.