Motivational Interviewing in Health Care
Help patients move toward better health, one conversation at a time, in this online course with the co-founder of MI, Stephen Rollnick.
About the Course
Start date
Immediate accessLength
8 hours | On-Demand (12 months access)Who this course is for
Health Professionals Organization Enquiries
Find out moreLearn Motivational Interviewing (MI) from co-founder Stephen Rollnick and a team of expert clinicians, with a focus on real-world strategies you can use in fast-paced health care settings. Whether you’re working in primary care, allied health, nursing, or mental health, this course will show you how to bring Motivational Interviewing into your day-to-day consultations to make them more collaborative, effective, and satisfying.
Support Change - Without Needing to Convince or Persuade
As health professionals, we’re trained to solve problems. But when it comes to behavior change, telling patients what to do often isn’t enough - and can sometimes backfire. Motivational Interviewing offers a more effective alternative: a guiding style of communication that helps patients find their own motivation to change.
This self-paced course helps you integrate Motivational Interviewing into routine care - even brief appointments. You’ll learn how to navigate common challenges like patients who seem unsure, withdrawn, or hard to connect with - and how to use core Motivational Interviewing strategies to lift the tone of your consultations, reduce burnout, and improve outcomes.
With a focus on real clinical applications, the course includes practical demonstrations with a range of health professionals (including GPs, dieticians, and nurses) working with issues ranging from chronic illness to mental health and lifestyle change.
$390
Free book
Presented by Stephen Rollnick
Stephen Rollnick, PhD, is the co-founder of Motivational Interviewing and an internationally recognized trainer and author. Drawing on decades of experience in health care and behavior change, he presents this course alongside a team of skilled health professionals working across primary care, dietetics, mental health, and more.
You’ll learn from clinicians who know the realities of time-pressured consultations - and who show how even small shifts in communication can make a big difference.
Contributing Course Experts
Core Skills for Everyday Practice
Gain practical tools you can start using right away - even in brief, time-limited consultations. You'll learn:
A powerful alternative to persuasion: how to guide patients toward change
How to respond skillfully when patients seem unsure, disengaged, or hard to connect with
The 4 processes of Motivational Interviewing and how to apply them in clinical practice
How to ask open questions that invite reflection and promote autonomy
Using affirmations and reflective listening in difficult consultations
Ways to make short appointments feel more meaningful and effective
How Motivational Interviewing can reduce frustration and lift the emotional tone of practice
Who This Course Is For
This training is ideal for:
GPs, nurses, and allied health professionals
Mental health workers and behavioral health practitioners
Public health, community health, and hospital-based staff
Clinical educators and team leaders seeking practical, scalable training
Health services and organizations looking to strengthen patient engagement and reduce staff burnout
For Teams and Organizations
This course is also popular with health services, clinics, and training programs looking to build Motivational Interviewing capacity across teams. If you're interested in group access or organizational training, contact us to learn more about flexible enrolment options.
Your Motivational Interviewing in HealthCare Learning Experience
This on-demand course is designed to fit into the reality of busy clinical life. You’ll get 12 months of access to:
Short, focused lessons you can revisit as often as you need
Clinical demonstrations across a wide range of medical contexts
Optional deeper-dive videos to explore key skills further
A searchable digital library of additional resources
Whether you’re learning one new Motivational Interviewing skill at a time or diving into a full mindset shift, this course offers practical tools you can apply immediately.
If you would like to request an invoice, please fill out the form here.
Course Overview
Course modules
Part 1: Background and fundamentals
Module 1
In this section we focus on the research, and theory that create the foundational base of MI. We'll look at how and why our patients may struggle to change, even in the face of significant health issues.
Module 2
We continue to delve into mindset and investigate what a productive conversation about change looks and feels like, focusing on how we overcome hurdles and the righting reflex.
Module 3
This section provides a vital introductory springboard for learning practical skills and techniques we will be covering in the later modules, which allows us to effectively intervene with our patients regardless of their diagnosis or healthcare setting.
Part 2: The four processes
Module 1
In this part of the course, we delve into the vital processes at the heart of MI: engaging, focusing, evoking and planning.
Module 2
The first section focuses on engagement and you'll learn how to engage patients even when you're extremely short on time.
Module 3
This module explores focusing, utilizing highly practical demonstrations to learn what a shared focus looks like.
Module 4
We delve into the process of evoking and investigate how we can help patients address ambivalence in this module.
Module 5
Listen to experts and watch practical examples of planning and consider what form a plan can take in your practice.
Part 3: Practical skills and techniques
Module 1
This section builds upon the practical skills that you’ll need in order to continue to integrate Motivational Interviewing into your day-to-day work.
Module 2
This section focuses on the skill of asking. You’ll be encouraged to reflect upon your existing practice and consider how to ask for information.
Module 3
Learn how to integrate the core skill of listening into your day to day work.
Module 4
The core skill of affirming is explored as we investigate what affirming looks like with a Motivational Interviewing twist.
Module 5
This section delves into the skill of summarizing and looks at when is it most useful to summarize what a patient has said.
Part 4: Putting Motivational Interviewing into practice
Module 1
We delve deeper into the various ways that Motivational Interviewing can be best integrated into your practice and consider when it is appropriate to give information and advice.
Module 2
This section tackles the very real time pressures that occur in healthcare and how to utilize Motivational Interviewing in brief consultations.
Module 3
This section looks at practical tips and strategies to manage difficult consultations with clients who do not want to engage.
Module 4
We'll look at practical points that you’ll need to effectively and confidently move forward with Motivational Interviewing.
Module 5
This section contains highly relevant demonstrations and practical examples to help you consolidate the new skills necessary for implementing real & effective practice change.
Module 6
We'll complete a final wrap up and consolidate our learning.
Course excerpts
Accredited Continuing Education Credits
This Motivational Interviewing in Health Care training is designed for mental health professionals worldwide. Upon completion, you'll receive an official certificate that may be submitted to relevant registration or licensing bodies for continuing professional development, where applicable.
8 CE/CME credits are designated for a range of licensed mental health professions, including:
psychologists, social workers, counsellors,
physicians, nurses,
marriage and family therapists,
addiction professionals.
Acceptance for other professions may vary by board and jurisdiction. View the complete CE/CME accreditation details and board approvals here.
