MI Foundations Online
17.5–19.5 hours of self-paced online learning. Choose between a 60-day or 90-day schedule, with suggested plans to keep you on track.
Includes three 30-minute practice and feedback sessions with expert trainers
Appropriate for a wide range of professionals and peer helpers
What You’ll Learn
This learning pathway contains 3 courses, focused on building an understanding of the spirit of MI and developing core skills, including using OARS (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries), responding to the way people talk about change, helping people to make Brief Action Plans, and understanding ‘resistance’.
About the Course
- Self-paced content: Complete the majority of the coursework at your own pace online.
- Practice and Feedback: Engage in 2 x 30-minute sessions with expert trainers to refine your skills.
- Ongoing support: For 12 weeks post-course, receive weekly emails with practical resources and skill prompts.
- Progress updates: Sponsors receive regular participant progress reports.
- Capacity: This course can accommodate up to 12 learners per group.
What Learners Are Saying
Best Motivational Interviewing Training in Vancouver
Oh my goodness, I liked so many things about the program. The material is amazing. The staff, I can’t say enough about how you helped me in my work with clients.
Easy-to-follow course
I loved the course! It exceeded my expectations. We learned very useful tools (how to use it properly). And it was presented in an easily understandable fashion. Even though it is my second language I could understand well.
Practical MI course
The structure of the course was excellent, plenty of opportunity to practice alone with the case studies and in person with the staff. The live practice and feedback session were really valuable for me.
Excellent program!
Very well-structured content. Easy to work through at my own pace. Combination of written, auditory and visual content along with practice activities and live practice sessions worked very well to help reinforce my learning. Excellent program!
Great online course
The Motivational Interviewing online course succinctly captured the important elements of MI and made helped me to integrate knowledge. The best MI course I’ve taken.
Building MI skills
What I really liked about the program was gaining a better understanding and approach to MI skills, how to incorporate skills more fluently and natural. Understanding how certain approaches can guide conversation outcome.
Community, valuable resources
Easy to navigate online course, multiple options of presenting info, simple graphics, clear submission process, downloadable PDFs for reference, reading forum comments on, support and feedback from all CCMI members
MI practice sessions with the trainer
I like the way this program is designed with quizzes, assignments, videos, audios, helpful hand outs and especially have one-on-one sessions with CCMI trainers to go over the materials. I wish I had more one-on-one sessions with CCMI trainers to practice things that I have learned.
Wonderful way to learn Motivational Interviewing online!
Everything in the course was actually useful, and it felt like it had been curated with a good deal of care and intention. I spent longer on this course than I normally would for other online education because I wanted to take the time to really digest the material – it was that good!
Thanks for the course and supporting resources!
I definitely took away a lot from this course. I learned many practical strategies and tools that can help me address the various ways ambivalence shows up in my clients. I appreciated the information broken down into easily understandable categories with handouts available for future reference.
Useful course
The course exceeded my expectations. We learned very useful tools (how to use it properly). And it was presented in an easily understandable fashion. Even though it is my second language I could understand well.
Great Motivational Interviewing course
What a great course! I have been exposed to MI in the past, but feel that this has encouraged me to take small steps at incorporating the processes so that it becomes more familiar and easier to use…like a forming a habit and not feeling at a loss of words. I agree that reflections and more patient engagement will be the key!
The best MI course I’ve taken.
It succinctly captured the important elements of MI and helped me to integrate knowledge. The best MI course I’ve taken.
Course Details
- Define motivational interviewing (MI).
- Describe the spirit of MI and ways to express it.
- Recognize the difference between three styles of helping interactions.
- Contrast MI consistent and inconsistent practices.
- Discuss listening with an uncluttered mind.
- Describe and demonstrate the core skills for MI (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries).
- Identify ways to provide information and advice consistent with the spirit of MI.
- Demonstrate ask-offer-ask.
- Recognize change talk and contrast with sustain talk.
- Strategically respond to sustain and change talk.
- Respond to change talk using the core skills for MI.
- Describe the four processes of MI.
- Demonstrate focusing.
- Demonstrate Brief Action Planning.
- Identify contributors to "resistance” and demonstrate MI consistent responses to “resistant patients or complex situations.
- Consider ways to apply skills to practice.
This is an interactive course that is designed for participants who want to consider practical applications to their work. CCMI uses learner-centred, performance-based approaches to adult education. The MI Foundations online course includes:
- Pre and Post skill level comparison via written exercise.
- Learning activities that evoke understanding and build skills. These include interactive online activities, journal assignments, class forum discussions, and short quizzes to reflect learning and encourage application to practice.
- Practice activities that increase practical understanding and allow trainers to provide constructive feedback.
An important part of the online course is the motivational interviewing practice and feedback practice sessions. These sessions give learners an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills that they are learning. MI foundations practice and feedback sessions are one-on-one conference sessions with an instructor. They are 30 minutes in length and focus on communication skills (OARS and ask-offer-ask), strategies, and application to practice. Learners schedule their own sessions, based on a selection of available times. All of the information to schedule these sessions is contained within the course. We use the Zoom platform for practice and feedback for several reasons. Zoom with video allows us to see each other’s body language, which can be important in interpreting what people are saying. Many professionals interact with the people they serve on the phone or via video, so this also provides an opportunity to be comfortable with virtual interactions. During practice and feedback sessions, learners can decide how they want to spend their time. Here are some common options:
- Clarification of a topic: Learn more about information covered in the online course. Learners will receive a short description or demonstration, have an opportunity to briefly discuss the topic, practice and get feedback on skills as needed.
- Case study: Learners can bring a situation with a patient or client that they would like to discuss. This would be a situation where someone might be “stuck” or would benefit from a new perspective and how to apply what they are learning in the online course. The learner and instructor will discuss the situation and the principles, skills, and strategies that might apply. Then they can role play the situation and get feedback on skills as needed.
- Role play: The CCMI trainer will play a patient or client and the learner will have an opportunity to practice your skills and then receive feedback.
- The learner’s idea: The Learner may have an additional way that they would like to spend their time working with a knowledgeable instructor.
Learners who complete the course and would like additional practice and feedback time, are encouraged to attend drop-in group practice and feedback sessions. Up to 4 people can book a spot in a 1-hour group session.
The course takes approximately 16-18 hours, and a certificate of completion is provided to learners who finish all three courses in their entirety:
- Learning content
- Learning checks
- Assignments
- 3 x 30 minute practice and feedback sessions
In order to complete this course, learners will need:
- Access to a computer, laptop, or tablet with the capability to watch and listen to videos and audio recordings.
- Internet connection
- Microphone and camera for zoom practice and feedback sessions.
- Up to date browser including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. The course will not run with Internet Explorer
See our CCMI Services page for an overview of all of our offerings and details like prerequisites, duration, and capacity.