Motivational Interviewing and Neuroscience of Stress

Stress is often perceived as solely an emotional experience, but decades of research demonstrate its impact on physical health and wellbeing. We will explore the neuroscience explaining how stress manifests in humans and how, through intentional use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills, we can help the people we work with mitigate stress at the psychological, physical, and epigenetic level.

Many MI skills and tools naturally lead to stress reduction. MI is based on the principle of meeting people as equals and experts on their own lives, with a desire to empower them. This approach eliminates the need for power struggles that can exacerbate environmental stressors. MI is also highly relational, activating pro-social areas of the brain. An MI exploration of intrinsic motivation highlights personal values, which can lead to organic changes in perspective and subsequent actions.

The highly interactive format of this course will increase your ability to work intentionally with MI Spirit and specific MI skills to quickly de-escalate situations, build collaborative partnerships, and set achievable next steps.

Objectives

• Review MI Spirit and OARS skills, with a focus on reflective listening
• Explore the science of stress as a mind-body experience with common health impacts
• Discover the elements that make MI an interpersonal stress management approach
• Learn how to use MI to de-escalate interactions and build partnership
• Practice real-world scenarios from your scope of practice