Brief Action Planning Certification

Brief Action Planning (BAP) Certification

   20 min/session

  Appropriate for wide range of professionals and peer helpers.

   Prerequisites: Training or self-guided learning in Brief Action Planning

BAP Certification demonstrates a trainee’s competence in BAP skills through an exam in the format of a structured and recorded interaction with a CCMI Standardized Patient. The exam is scored by a coder using a standardized rating scale. The rating scale emphasizes conversational tone, flow of the interaction and adherence to the Spirit of Motivational Interviewing in addition to demonstration of BAP skills.

How do I prepare for the certification?

Use the BAP Skills Checklist to monitor your skill development. If you can demonstrate BAP with the skills checklist and have an “A=Achieved” in every column, you are ready for certification. Here are some tips:

  1. Attend BAP Practice and Feedback Sessions
  2. Have your Brief Action Planning Guide and/or Flow Chart in front of you during your certification and follow the steps on the guide in the order they occur.
  3. The other person does most of the talking.
  4. Question 1 is almost always asked exactly as is and doesn’t require any preface during certification. You may substitute “your situation” for “your health.”
  5. The behavioral menu of ideas includes these three steps:
    1. Permission to share ideas
    2. A few brief ideas ideally 2 – 3 at the most that aren’t too specific and have variety. These are presented all at once in a list.
    3. A prompt about “something else” the person may have thought of
  6. A SMART plan (done with permission) answers the questions:
    1. What
    2. When
    3. Where (if applicable)
    4. How much or how long (time, portions, servings, until completion) and/or ow often (sometimes it’s just once)
    5. When they will start
  7. Be clear in explaining what confidence is and how to use the confidence ruler. Saying “how sure” is a great option.
  8. Recognize that a confidence level of less than 7 prompts problem solving. Explain why and help the person revise their plan.
  9. Checking on the progress of the plan is optional. It is specific and describes how and when you will talk again.
  10. During the check on progress, adjust what you say according to the level of completion.
  11. Always demonstrate the Spirit of Motivational Interviewing:
    1. Compassion
    2. Acceptance
    3. Partnership
    4. Evocation

Remember that certification is different than using Brief Action Planning in clinical practice. In clinical practice, the conversation may take more turns and you may have more prior knowledge of the person you are working with.

 

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See our CCMI Services page for an overview of all of our offerings and details like workshop prerequisites, duration, and capacity.