Workshop – The role of Motivational Interviewing in working with Family Violence

“Resolving ambivalence and developing motivation is a key aspect of engagement into Men’s Behaviour Change (MBC) programs.”​

Given that most men referred to programs are mandated either formally or informally through pressure from family, friends or significant others in their lives, then this is even more critical. Even those who appear willing at the start can push back once confronted with having to change behaviour.

Ken McMaster (NZ) and Helen Mentha (Australia), internationally known trainers in MI, will take an exploratory approach to expand thinking and sharpen focus regarding MI concepts, skills and applications in relation to intervention in family violence. They will integrate concepts from positive psychology, cognitive science and grit to design and facilitate powerful learning experiences. Come expecting to learn something new, try something different, and walk away feeling energized and challenged.

Target Audience

Practitioners who are currently working with those who perpetrate family violence and want to significantly increase their engagement skills, including psychologists, social workers, counsellors, marriage and family therapists, substance abuse professionals, health care providers and allied professionals, criminal justice workers, educators, and peer counsellors.

Objectives

Working with those mandated to attend interventions creates it own challenging dynamic. In order to ensure safety in the longer term, both engagement and retention in programs is critically important. In this workshop we will work with a number of strategies that have proven useful in engagement. In addition we will explore a nuanced approach that blends the key principles of motivational interviewing in working in the family violence field. By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Develop strategies to enhance engagement and retention in interventions
• Respond to ambivalence and discord in participants who are mandated to attend programs
• Assist participants to identify concrete change goals that relate to family wellbeing and safety
• Develop strategies to explore motivation and meaning for positive behaviour change within family relationships
• Identify how our own personal judgements may impact the work and ways to maintain and model prosocial interactions.

To register, or for more information CLICK HERE. To learn more about the trainers or to download an event flier, use the links below:

• Learn more about Ken McMaster here
• Learn more about Helen Mentha here
• Download an Event Flier here

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