FAQs

Frequently asked questions regarding Motivational Interviewing and A Better Listener’s courses & training.

Training Logistics

  • Our ease of use, engaging training style, and great value training options sets A Better Listener apart from the other options. Setting up a training with Kay is an easy and stress-free process! Once you reach out and make your needs known, I will plan and implement the training. I will work hard to keep participants engaged, help them learn, and make the learning accessible to all. A Better Listener regularly offers low-cost and discounted training options for local non-profit organizations, offering high quality training at a reasonable rate. I look forward to working with you!

  • The first step is to connect for a free consultation! You can schedule a consultation here. In our brief, initial meeting, I will ask you about your organization’s needs and your goals for the training. We can brainstorm together. If you are interested in moving forward and planning a training event, we will discuss pricing that fits your organization’s needs, and if you’d like to move forward, we’ll find dates and get scheduled!

  • First and foremost, you will receive high-quality training customized for your group or organization, with access to Kay throughout the time planned, for individual questions and support during that half-day or day(s) as needed. Included in the training is mileage within 75 miles of Waukesha, access to presentation slides and handouts electronically ahead of time to share with participants, an accessible training with accommodations for participants with disabilities, and follow-up support for anyone who wishes to reach out to Kay after the training experience with additional questions.

    If you wish to have anything specific included or addresses in the training, please let me know during your free consultation.

  • Group training workshops are provided in an interactive format, using lecture, observation, discussion, and interactive exercises to communicate concepts and practice skills. Participants describe the training experiences as engaging, fun, and a good pace for learning while staying energized and focused.

  • Supporting individuals with disabilities and making our training events accessible is extremely important to us. When we schedule a group training event, we always ask participants (or the manager overseeing the participants) to share what accommodations they need to participate in the training.

    All videos shown include accurate closed captions, turned on for everyone’s benefit. Additionally, Kay is skilled in working with sign language interpreters and real-time captionists (CART), and happy to make arrangements if these accommodations are needed.

About Motivational Interviewing

  • Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based conversational approach designed to help your clients get more motivated to make positive behavior changes in their lives! It is a a set of skills, or a tool to add to your toolbelt. Here’s a definition from the book that may help provide more information:

    “MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.” (Miller & Rollnick, 2013, p. 29)

    To learn more about Motivational Interviewing basics, check out information at the MINT website.

  • Many professionals, including healthcare professionals, educators, first responders, social service professionals, want to learn motivational interviewing to help their clients, and to help themselves feel less burned out. Motivational Interviewing is considered by some to be a strategy to “work smarter, not harder,” because of the emphasis it places on clients being empowered to take control in their own lives. If you are less burned out AND your clients are getting motivated and making progress in their lives, it sounds like a win-win!

  • New information can be hard for people to hear sometimes, especially when it conflicts with old information they thought they knew. That is a great time to ask for permission (to decrease defensiveness) and to reflect on how difficult this may be for them. When you are offering (not forcing) the information, it will help clients more readily accept the information. In Motivational Interviewing, we call this the Elicit-Provide-Elicit technique.

  • It does take time to learn a new skill like MI, or to integrate a slightly modified skill into a process that you have already mastered. Remember, with practice, new skills become easier. Also, research has shown that, over time, skills like reflection statements and asking permission actually can make a conversation more efficient, because we can more easily get to the heart of the conversation and we also decrease any possible defenses. Maybe you’d like to try incorporating these techniques little by little; it’s really up to you!

  • If you are an eager learner, it’s a great idea to find colleagues who are also interested in better communication techniques to continue to help you grow and practice these skills. Your work may offer an opportunity for training circles, MI expert groups, or professional development time to continue to practice your Motivational Interviewing skills. There are also a variety of resources on Motivational Interviewing. Here is a link to a document with a few of my favorite MI resources for continued learning!