Engaging for Change: Using Motivational Interviewing to Strengthen Connection

Session Description: Many people enter addiction treatment with mixed feelings about change, external pressure to attend, or uncertainty about the role of services and medications. This interactive session focuses on using core Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills to engage ambivalent clients and support continued connection to care. Participants will briefly review MI spirit and key skills, then apply them to common situations where attendance, follow-through, and participation are at risk.

The session emphasizes recognizing and responding to sustain talk and discord, strengthening the working alliance, and integrating brief MI-consistent strategies into routine contacts (intakes, check-ins, medication conversations, and follow-up visits). Participants will practice adaptable tools such as reflection and affirmation strategies, eliciting change talk with targeted prompts, and a brief “next-step” planning approach that fits real-world time constraints. A brief case example will illustrate how a clinician can respond when a client is mandated, unsure about medication, or minimizes use—without escalating resistance.

By the end of the session, attendees will be prepared to use MI-consistent language and micro-skills to support engagement, reduce discord, and create clearer next steps that help clients stay connected to care.

Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI088037 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.