Motivational Interviewing – Client Engagement, Focusing Conversations & Evoking Change

May 8, 2026, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, PST
via Zoom

3 CE Credits 

Presented by Crystal Bennett, LMSW

Register Now: https://tinyurl.com/afxsvmee

Price: $75/NASW Members, $120/Non-Members

Webinar Description: Motivational Interviewing is a style of communication that enhances motivation for change by helping the individual clarify and resolve ambivalence about the need for behavioral change. Participants will have an understanding of the purpose of MI and how it can be interwoven into other approaches to enhance good practice. Additionally, participants will have ample opportunity to become familiar with the spirit and tools of Motivational Interviewing through individual reflection, group work, video observation and application to scenarios.

Objectives:

1. Describe Motivational Interviewing and how it works
2. Explain the use of OARS for effective client engagement
3. Identify Thomas Gordon’s 12 roadblocks to effective communication
4. Identify implementation techniques to provide hope and confidence through the stages of change
5. Recognize signals of discord & rolling with resistance
6. Explain 10 strategies for evoking change talk

About the presenter: Crystal Bennett, LMSW, is an educator, an advocate, a survivor, and a self-proclaimed thriver! For the past 25 years, she has been driven by her personal experiences of trauma to elevate and amplify the voices of individuals and communities in order to promote healing and opportunities to move from surviving to thriving. 

Crystal has demonstrated a passion in sharing her experiences in order to help individuals heal from their personal traumas and work alongside professionals to create trauma-informed, culturally inclusive, and person-centered spaces. Her experiences include advocacy within the child welfare system, oversight of child and youth programs, crisis hotline response, delivery of community-based mental health services, and implementing trauma-informed strategies and programs for school districts. She has been called upon to provide training, coaching, and consultation across the nation in the subject areas of Human Trafficking, Suicide Prevention, Motivational Interviewing, Child Trauma & Maltreatment, and Racial Trauma. She is a fierce advocate for social justice and leads courageously to dismantle oppressive systems and create equitable and just services, policies, and programs.