Motivational interviewing partnership is born

Many of you will know that staff at HMA have real interest and experience in motivational interviewing. Ken McMaster (one of HMA’s directors) was awarded an ALAC scholarship to attend training at the Addictions Research Foundation in Toronto back in the mid 1980s when the approach was in its infancy alongside the relapse prevention ideas. The field has continued to grow into new and exciting areas of endeavour. We are therefore please to welcome Dr Joel Porter (Psy.D., M.A., B.S.) as one of our associates. Joel has a significant history in motivational interviewing work which will add significantly to our work at HMA.

Joel has 23 years of clinical and consulting experience in areas of mental health and addictions. For the past five years, Joel has been providing motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, professional ethics and basic counselling skills training events throughout New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia to a wide range of professionals from corrections to behavioural health. Joel is a Registered Psychologist and member of the International Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.

He has worked on collaborative training projects with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Matua Raki – New Zealand’s National Addiction Workforce Development, Department of Disability, Ageing & Home Care – New South Wales and many other government and non-government organisations.

Joel is a Senior Clinical Lecturer with the National Addiction Centre located within the University of Otago’s Christchurch School of Medicine. He also provides clinical supervision, organisational consultation and individual, couples, and group psychotherapy services.

You will hear a lot more from us in the near future around Joel’s work with a number of exciting initiatives shortly to be announced. For more information on training work that Joel can provide for your organisation contact info@hma.co.nz.

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