Using Motivational Interviewing with Struggling Teenagers 

Friday, April 25, 2025
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Zoom Webinar

Registration Fee: $45

OVERVIEW: 

Medical practice, legal practice, counseling practice, basketball practice-all suggest that repetition will lead to results. For example, if you shoot 30 free throws today and repeat every day for the next year you will get better results. Think about doing the exact same thing with every teen every time you see them. Repetition with teens leads to teens not coming back. 

To steal an analogy from Chris Rice, each teen is like “Smelling the Color Nine. Nine’s not a color and even if it were, you can’t smell a color.  My point exactly.” There is an art to therapy with teens as they often struggle with counseling because of stigma around mental health, fear of judgment, difficulty expressing emotions, lack of understanding about the process, resistance to authority, concerns about privacy, and the developmental stage of trying to establish their own identity.  

Utilizing ACT for Adolescents (DNA-V) and the BOLD Process this webinar will overview some of the reasons teens need therapy and provide practical techniques from Motivational Interviewing (MI) to partner through the resistance.  Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a non-judgmental and supportive approach that empowers struggling teenagers to take control of their lives and make positive changes.

The BOLD Process and Motivational Interviewing (MI) can help struggling teenagers:

• Identify their strengths and resources
• Develop realistic goals
• Increase their motivation to change
• Develop coping skills
• Improve their relationships with others

This webinar is the culmination of a four month book club over Motivational Interviewing with Adolescents and Young Adults (2nd Edition) and a monthly practice group with other professionals and will highlight as much of the learning from those as possible.  Motivational Interviewing techniques will be utilized to engage the participants along with experiential learning, lecture and discussion. Participants will be provided practical tools that have been found to be effective.

OBJECTIVES: As a result of attending this webinar, the participant will be able to:
•   Frame adolescent emotional struggle using DNA-V (ACT for Adolescents),

•   Describe the BOLD Process for change and have some practical tools to implement with the teens you work with,

•    Discuss some specific Motivational Interviewing strategies applicable to overcoming adolescent resistance to therapy.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
This continuing education zoom webinar is designed for case managers, social workers, psychologists, therapists, counselors, teachers, and health care workers. The community is welcome to attend. 

CONTINUING EDUCATION:                                                              
Mental Health America of the Heartland is a pre-approved provider for social workers through the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board (BSRB) Provider Number 17-007. This continuing education provider is approved  3.0 hours for social workers and accepted for psychologists, professional counselors, masters prepared psychologists, marriage and family therapists and addiction counselors.

In order to receive continuing education credit and a certificate of attendance for this zoom webinar, you will be required to participate in the live zoom webinar. You will receive a zoom invitation via email within a week of webinar. Also you will need to take an online exam and complete an evaluation that will be sent in a separate email after the live zoom webinar. You must pass the test by 70%. The zoom webinar will not be available by recording and viewing at any other time.