Motivational Interviewing in Youth Work

Your Course Description

Communications
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  • Youth work is all about supporting positive change. The rapport you build as a youth worker puts you in an ideal position to use Motivational Interviewing skills.
  • Rather than giving advice or instruction, you’ll be able to have collaborative conversations. Gain tools for initiating change talk to help the young people you serve define and reach their goals.
  • Learn how to assess their readiness for change. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, youth-centered approach to strengthen a person’s own motivation and commitment to change.

Your Learning Objectives

  • Learn about the central principles of motivational interviewing (MI), including OARS, the cycle of change, and eliciting change talk
  • Consider ways in which MI is particularly beneficial in youth work
  • Observe and learn from trainer ‘real-plays’ demonstrating specific MI activities and exercises
  • Explore how you can apply MI principles in your programs

Your Course Details

  • Icon Completion Certificate
  • Icon Youth Worker Track
  • Icon This training will count as 1.5 CE hours for most boards. Please contact your board directly with questions on submitting. Course details for CE submissions provided.

Your Trainer

Reviewer Photo Katie Olson is the Director of Training in the Institute to Transform Child Protection at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Katie develops and implements training curricula focused on mandatory reporting, trauma and resiliency in legal systems, parent representation, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and practical skills for professionals in child welfare and related fields. She is also an adjunct faculty, teaching courses focusing on the constitutional rights of families and the ethics of trauma-responsive legal advocacy. Katie is a volunteer attorney with the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, representing children in foster care in their child protection cases. Previously, Katie was an Education Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education, where she investigated reports of maltreatment in MN public schools and served as the program’s training coordinator. Katie has worked as a judicial law clerk, family law attorney, youth program director, family advocate, and PCA. Katie received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago and completed her undergraduate work in family social science and family violence prevention at the University of Minnesota.
Reviewer Photo Miriam Itzkowitz (she/her) is the Director of Trauma-Informed Care for the Institute to Transform Child Protection at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. In this role, Miriam develops and trains on best practices at the intersection of legal services and trauma-responsive care. She also serves as the social work supervisor for graduate social work students to link theory and practice and to serve the clients represented through ITCP Child Protection Clinic. Miriam has clinical experience counseling adults and adolescents in clinical, home, and school settings. In her private practice, Miriam uses an eclectic approach to individual and couples therapy, incorporating cognitive, creative, and holistic techniques to assist clients in sustaining authentic identities, coping with difficulties, and overcoming trauma. She received her BA from Grinnell College and her MSW from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
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Your Skill-Building Objectives

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Communication

Listening and speaking to deeply connect

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Healthy Living

Guiding young people toward healthy choices

What YIPA members are saying

❞

I really appreciated the examples, and how Miriam talked through so many different scenarios. SO wonderful.

❞

Very useful content I will be using to better my communication with youth and people.

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Providing the real play, quality slides, intermittent questions that encouraged active reflection...it all contributed to a better learning process for me.