Dr. William R. Miller — Founder of Motivational Interviewing

Improve One-on-One Treatment Outcomes

Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney: November 2015

In this two-day seminar workshop, Dr William (Bill) Miller will address areas where people often get stuck in developing clinical strategies and skilfulness during the therapeutic alliance. How to deal with clients’ resistance and denial, and will illustrate ways to build clients’ confidence to enhance motivation for change.

This seminar workshop will blend didactic presentations with demonstrations and ample opportunities for experiential skill practice.

It is recommended that participants should have had prior training in Motivational Interviewing or have developed the foundational counselling skills, including client-centred reflective listening, on which Motivational Interviewing relies.

There are opportunities for participants to review or learn these empathetic listening skills prior to the workshop – please see the “Prerequisites” tab below.

Dr Miller brings a wealth of knowledge and decades of active experience to impart at these training workshops. They are essential learning for those who work “one on one”.

Dr William R. Miller

Dr Miller is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and affiliated with the Centre on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico.

He introduced the concept of Motivational Interviewing in a 1983 article and devoted over 40 years of his life to refining the process.

Dr Miller served as Director of Clinical Training for the University of New Mexico (UNM) American Psychological approved doctoral program in Clinical Psychology and as co-director in the UNM’s Centre on Alcoholism, substance abuse and addictions.

He is reportedly one of the most cited scientists having written over 400 articles and chapters and in excess of 34 books.

Through Motivational Interviewing he has changed the way clinicians think about the nature of substance use disorders, their treatment and the means to effect change in patients.

This event has passed and the information below is for reference purposes only. View our upcoming events here.

Workshop Program: Dr Bill Miller November 2015

  • 8am – 9am: Registration
  • 9am – 10.30am: First Teaching Session
  • 10.30am – 11am: Morning Break
  • 11am – 12.30 am: Second Teaching Session
  • 12.30pm – 1.30pm: Lunch
  • 1.30pm – 3pm: Third Teaching Session.
  • 3pm – 3.30pm: Afternoon Break
  • 3.30pm – 4.30pm: Review, Q & A
  • 4.30pm: Close.
  • 8am – 9am: Registration
  • 9am – 10.30am: First Teaching Session
  • 10.30am – 11am: Morning Break
  • 11am – 12.30 am: Second Teaching Session
  • 12.30pm – 1.30pm: Lunch
  • 1.30pm – 3pm: Afternoon Teaching Session.
  • 3pm – 3.30pm: Afternoon Break
  • 3.30pm – 4.30pm: Review, Q & A
  • 4.30pm: Close.

Workshop Information

What topics will the workshop cover?
  • an update on important changes in the 3rd edition and recent research
  • the art of complex reflection as a skill for rapid engaging
  • counseling with neutrality and how it differs from MI
  • the new four-process model for understanding and teaching MI
  • the focusing process with more complex clinical issues
  • ear training to recognize client change talk and sustain talk
  • skills for evoking change talk
  • practice in how to respond to client change talk
  • deconstruction of the prior concept of “resistance”
  • constructing MI-consistent summaries
  • tools for supervision of clinicians learning MI
  • eliciting and strengthening commitment to a change plan
  • current knowledge on how MI is learned
  • a strategy for developing a local MI leaning community
What is Dr Bill Miller's academic background?

Dr. Miller introduced the clinical method of MI in 1983 and is senior author of the primary text (now in 3rd edition). He is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, USA where he served as Director of Clinical Training and co-founded the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA). Fundamentally interested in the psychology of change, he has published over 40 books and 400 professional articles and chapters. The Institute for Scientific Information lists him as one of the world’s most-cited scientists.

Download the workshop brochure in PDF format — please feel free to share with your colleagues and associates.