Course Description

This course provides an introductory, skills-focused overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI) for healthcare professionals, with emphasis on practical communication strategies that support patient-centered behavior change. Participants will learn the core elements of MI spirit, a brief overview of relevant theory (e.g., Self-Determination Theory and the Trans-Theoretical Model), and the four MI processes (Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, Planning). The course teaches the foundational MI skills and provides guidance for identifying and responding to change talk. Participants will apply concepts through structured practice activities to strengthen real-world clinical communication. The course is designed for busy clinicians and is delivered in a blended format with asynchronous modules and live mentoring to reinforce skill acquisition, confidence, and transfer to clinical practice. 

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define Motivational Interviewing (MI) and MI spirit and how they differ from directive counseling approaches. 
  2. Identify the four MI processes and select an appropriate process based on a brief patient scenario.
  3. Demonstrate the use of OARS+ by writing or verbalizing at least one open-ended question, one affirmation, and one reflective statement aligned with a patient scenario.
  4. Elicit change talk by using importance and confidence scaling questions and responding with an MI-consistent reflection.
  5. Recognize DARN-C change talk elements and choose an MI-consistent next response (reflection or evocative question) to move toward planning.

Who Should Register for this Course?

This course is designed for rehabilitation professionals who work with individuals following stroke or spinal cord injury, including:

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants

Occupational therapists (OTs) and certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs)

Nurses and Physicians

This course is designed at an introductory level and requires no prerequisites. Clinicians of all experience levels are welcome.

Course Format

This Practice Accelerator Forum combines self paced online learning with live mentoring (4 total contact hours) including guided practice, discussion, and coaching to reinforce MI skills.

  • Online Asynchronous Education

    4 hours of self-paced, evidence-based content broken out into 5 separate modules.

  • Online Mentoring Sessions with Course Faculty

    2 1-hour sessions of interactive case discussion and application on August 18 and September 1, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET.

  • Library of Tools and Resources

    Online tools and resources to support translation to clinical practice, including a reading resource library, education, assessment, and treatment resources!

Key Topics & Agenda Highlights

  • Foundations of Motivational Interviewing: Principles, spirit, and relevance for rehabilitation clinicians

  • Behavior Change Frameworks: Applying Self-Determination Theory and the Trans-Theoretical Model in practice

  • The Four Processes of MI: Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning to guide clinical conversations

  • Core Communication Skills: Using OARS+ to enhance patient-centered interactions

  • Eliciting Motivation for Change: Recognizing and responding to change talk (DARN-C, scaling strategies)

  • Translating Skills into Practice: Interactive case examples, guided practice, and strategies for real-world implementation

Faculty

Learn from an expert.

Linda Ehrlich-Jones (Muzio)

Dr. Linda Ehrlich-Jones is Associate Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. She has been involved in the creation of behavioral interventions using motivational interviewing, targeting persons with chronic illness to increase physical activity and improve diet. She has been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers since 2006. She has served as PI and co-I on projects funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the National Institutes of Health, the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and other organizations and foundations. She oversees the Rehabilitation Measures Database, a compendium of summaries of more than 600 instruments that gets over 5 million page views per year. Dr. Ehrlich-Jones is also a Research Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She received her BA in Biology (Knox College), BSN (Rush University), MSN (Loyola University Chicago), and PhD in Nursing Science (University of Illinois at Chicago).

Registration and Pricing

Registration for this course is $249 per person or you can also choose to bundle this course with the other Practice Accelerator Forum Courses at a discounted rate (available only at the time of initial purchase, please look for the bundled option in the catalog). The $249 fee covers the 2-hour online course, 2 1-hour mentoring sessions, and several tools and resources. 

Discounts are available for >5 registrations from the same organization. Please contact [email protected] for details.

CEUs

This course provides 0.4 AOTA CEUs (4.0 contact hours), Distance Learning —Interactive, at the Introductory level in areas of OT Service Delivery and Foundational Knowledge. 

Institute for Knowledge Translation is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development (approval ID# 0000001673). This Distance Learning—Interactive activity is pending for 0.4 AOTA CEUs (Introductory level; OT Service Delivery and Foundational Knowledge categories). The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

This course is pending approval by APTA Indiana for 4.0 Category I Contact Hours (Approval Number: XXX).

Participants are responsible for transferring CEUs for approval in other states. 


Completion Requirements:

To receive CEU/credit for this course, participants must:

Complete all online learning modules

Attend the 2 1‑hour live mentoring session

Actively participate in the discussion

Complete the post‑course evaluation

Cancellation Policy and Accessibility

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be submitted in writing at least 30 days before the course start date. Refunds will be provided minus a 15% administrative fee. The Institute for Knowledge Translation (iKT) reserves the right to change programs or cancel for due cause. If iKT cancels the course, a full refund will be issued.

Accessibility: For accommodation requests related to disabilities, please contact [email protected].