Training Description:
It is common for people to struggle and experience ambivalence when considering making a change or when others may be expecting them to make one. When helpers encounter this ambivalence with their clients, it is often interpreted as resistance, and they may feel unable to respond in an effective way.
Motivational interviewing can help because it is a communication style and way of being with clients that helps them find their internal motivation for solving problems. By exploring the framework and strategies of motivational interviewing, you will learn new ways to facilitate the change process in the people you support. You will gain practical strategies that start from a place of empathy and draw on the client’s personal motivation to create their own goals for change.
Schedule: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Format: In Person
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
- Explain the guiding philosophy and essential elements of motivational interviewing
- Describe and apply the four processes that structure a motivational interview
- Demonstrate and practice motivational interviewing skills
- Analyze the role of ambivalence in the change process
- Identify and elicit change talk
Training Focus:
- Motivational Interviewing Principles
- Understanding your Client’s Motivation
- Listening to your Client
- Foundational Skills: OARS (Open Questions, Affirming, Reflecting, Summarizing)
- Recognizing and Supporting Change Talk
- Four Processes of MI (Engaging, Focusing, Evoking, and Planning)
- Common Traps to Avoid
- Reflective Listening
- Roadblocks to Listening
- Approaching Ambivalence and Resistance
- When to use Motivational Interviewing
- Readiness to Change
Who Should Attend?
This is an introductory-intermediate level workshop for social service and health care professionals, social workers, school personnel, and anyone supporting people.
Trainer: Danielle Peebles
Trainer Bio:
Danielle is Ojibwe and a member of the Keeseekoowenin First Nation with family connections to Sagkeeng First Nation and Peguis First Nation. She currently lives in the North End of Winnipeg on Treaty One Territory with her husband and three children.
Danielle is a Registered Social Worker and holds a Master of Social Work based in Indigenous Knowledge degree from the University of Manitoba. She has over 15 years of experience working in the social services field and uses experiential therapy methods to provide care. As a therapist, Danielle works from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, harm reduction, trauma-informed, and person-centered approach to walking with people on their healing journey.
Danielle has engaged in consulting, facilitation, and training work with First Nation communities. Additionally, she is an instructor with Yellowquill University College, and walks with adults and youth who are impacted by mental health, addictions, trauma, and intergenerational trauma. She is dedicated to continuous learning, personal growth, and to sitting with and walking alongside people in ways that are respectful and supportive. As a fourth-generation residential school survivor, Danielle is committed to embracing and practicing her traditional way of life, while also being present for others in a good way.
Have Questions?
Contact Adesuwa Ero
- Email: training@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca
- Phone: 204 793-5088