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3.00 CE Credits Available
Motivational Interviewing with Adolescents: Core Concepts
by Sebastian Kaplan
Learn how to apply Motivational Interviewing principles to resistant adolescent clients and how to support and empower them to change their destructive behaviors.
In this course, Sebastian Kaplan, PhD, demonstrates how to successfully apply MI in 4 individual and family sessions with 2 thirteen-year-old girls. Marley's falling grades and increased truancy and Katie's self-harming behavior in response to bullying have brought them into a therapist's office. Watch as Kaplan demonstrates how to use MI to manage risk, deepen rapport, and draw out his clients’ innate strengths. This video also offers in-depth commentary, in which Kaplan openly discusses his frustrations in session and then shows how to make therapeutic use of them.
In addition to an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application to adolescents, you will learn how to bring parents into the clinical picture and discover helpful tools for working with your own internal responses to clients.
This course is an excellent resource for clinicians who want useful strategies for Motivational Interviewing, adolescent therapy, or family-based interventions.
What therapists are saying…
“A valuable and welcome addition to the existing materials related to MI and to effective approaches when working with adolescents. MI concepts and skills are masterfully demonstrated through engaging example sessions with adolescents encountering common psychosocial struggles: relationships with peers and parents, identity formation, and the yearning for both connection and independence. The combination of live sessions with conceptual and summary discussions before and after each session provides an effective and inspiring way to learn about MI and its tremendous value when applied to counseling clients in this age group.”
—Heidi Morton, MEd, School Counselor/Counselor Educator
—Heidi Morton, MEd, School Counselor/Counselor Educator
“This video starts with a helpful frame of the Motivational Interviewing approach as it applies to the developmental needs of adolescents. Dr. Kaplan uses a variety of clinical techniques to demonstrate how MI can be applied with respect and thoughtfulness to address the concerns of youth. Clinicians watching these demonstrations will benefit from Dr. Kaplan’s ability to bring together both the attitude of collaboration and specific skills to reduce resistance and promote adolescent interest in change. Additionally, the video provides examples of ways to strategically engage young adolescents, which is useful as many videos for this age group use older youth as examples.”
—Kristin Dempsey, LMFT, Clinician, Lecturer at San Francisco State University, Senior Associate, California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions
—Kristin Dempsey, LMFT, Clinician, Lecturer at San Francisco State University, Senior Associate, California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions
“This video helped to deepen my understanding of MI concepts and skills. I appreciated the review of key concepts, specific examples, and various strategies to facilitate understanding such as information boxes during the video, voice overs to explain what is occurring in the moment, and discussions to process what happened.”
—Regina Finan, Doctoral candidate
—Regina Finan, Doctoral candidate
“This will be a valuable resource for professionals in the field and for those in training. The discussion about MI is clear, thorough, and accessible. The demonstrations of MI in action with adolescents, which are much needed, are well-done and interesting. Particularly helpful for me, as a training tool, is the demonstration of using MI with a family. Dr. Kaplan is highly skilled and able to show viewers the complex and delicate dance of MI.”
—Denise Ernst, PhD, MI trainer, Member Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, Portland State University
—Denise Ernst, PhD, MI trainer, Member Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, Portland State University
“Dr. Kaplan does a great job thoroughly explaining MI and its major concepts. Voiceover commentary during the sessions effectively explain how the different MI techniques being used are impacting the progression of the session.”
—Olivia Uwamahoro Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education & College Student Affairs, University of West Georgia
—Olivia Uwamahoro Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education & College Student Affairs, University of West Georgia
Motivational Interviewing’s accessible style and success with addictions treatment has made it a preferred approach in a range of helping professions. For therapists, MI has grown as a method used for not just addiction, but for the breadth of clinical scenarios in which resistance is a significant factor. When resistance goes unseen or unaddressed, clients feel misunderstood and may leave, given the option. Even if the client is mandated—such as in correctional facilities, court cases, or as in this video, within the walls of a middle school—we need a solid, connected therapeutic alliance to get anywhere. Here, Motivational Interviewing expert Sebastian Kaplan offers practical tools to help you move forward with adolescents and their families. You’ll watch Kaplan apply MI to four challenging sessions with adolescent clients, individually and with their parents, and you’ll learn strategies for applying these skills in your own practice. What’s more, you’ll learn how MI can help you resist the urge to “fix” your clients.
To start, Kaplan outlines the key principles of MI, known as the “MI Spirit,” and details each component alongside case vignettes. Covering the four MI processes, change talk and sustain talk, and “the righting reflex,” Kaplan illustrates the method’s collaborative, client-engaging nature. With 13-year-old Marley, her parents, and 13-year-old Katie, Kaplan demonstrates how to use MI to manage risk, communicate nonjudgment, deepen rapport, and draw out his clients’ innate strengths. This video also offers realistic commentary, in which Kaplan openly discusses his frustrations in session and then shows how to work with them to clinical benefit.
This video is an excellent resource for clinicians who want useful strategies for Motivational Interviewing, adolescent therapy, or family-based interventions.
By watching this video, you will:
• Get an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application to adolescents.
• Learn how to bring parents into the clinical picture from an MI standpoint.
• Discover helpful tools for working with your own internal responses to a client.
To start, Kaplan outlines the key principles of MI, known as the “MI Spirit,” and details each component alongside case vignettes. Covering the four MI processes, change talk and sustain talk, and “the righting reflex,” Kaplan illustrates the method’s collaborative, client-engaging nature. With 13-year-old Marley, her parents, and 13-year-old Katie, Kaplan demonstrates how to use MI to manage risk, communicate nonjudgment, deepen rapport, and draw out his clients’ innate strengths. This video also offers realistic commentary, in which Kaplan openly discusses his frustrations in session and then shows how to work with them to clinical benefit.
This video is an excellent resource for clinicians who want useful strategies for Motivational Interviewing, adolescent therapy, or family-based interventions.
By watching this video, you will:
• Get an overview of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its application to adolescents.
• Learn how to bring parents into the clinical picture from an MI standpoint.
• Discover helpful tools for working with your own internal responses to a client.
Length of video: 2:56:39
English subtitles available
Group ISBN-10 #: 1-60124-531-9
Group ISBN-13 #: 978-1-60124-531-1
Sebastian Kaplan, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. A former special education teacher, Dr. Kaplan, PhD currently focuses his clinical work on helping adolescents and their families overcome a variety of challenges to their growth and development. He has written and presented on the application of MI for pediatricians, mental health providers, and school personnel, and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.
Sebastian Kaplan was compensated for his/her/their contribution. None of his/her/their books or additional offerings are required for any of the Psychotherapy.net content. Should such materials be references, it is as an additional resource.
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Additionally, there is no commercial support for this activity. None of the planners or any employee at Psychotherapy.net who has worked on this educational activity has relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies.
CE credits: 3
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the value of Motivational Interviewing (MI) with adolescent clients
- Learn how to bring parents into the clinical picture from an MI standpoint.
- Analyze the impact of your own internal responses in your MI work
Bibliography available upon request
This course is offered for ASWB ACE credit for social workers. See complete list of CE approvals here
© 2017
Course Reviewed January 2025
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Psychotherapy.net offers trainings for cost but has no financial or other relationships to disclose.
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