In this lab-intensive course, learners will integrate motivational interviewing, nervous system regulation, and self-care at the entry level. People living with behavioral health conditions, pain, and other chronic illnesses often know many solutions to their health challenges, yet they struggle to implement behavior change. Motivational interviewing honors this inner wisdom and draws it out through open-ended questions, affirmations, and other actionable strategies and tools. However, this mode of communicating is often foreign and initially uncomfortable for health care workers as they engage with patients. Therefore, this half of the course will create a safe yet challenging environment to push learners to actively practice motivational interviewing techniques through small group activities, role-playing, and other exercises. The second half of this virtual lab will focus on tools clinicians can utilize to help regulate the nervous system: both for their patients and themselves. Lab sessions will include mindfulness, breathing strategies, heart rate variability, biofeedback, and more. Attention will also be given to the self-care of clinicians working with complex patients, emphasizing the recognition and prevention of provider burnout. 

By the end of the course, a successful learner will be able to:

• Integrate knowledge from all IBHC courses with expanded understanding of Motivational Interviewing (MI) concepts to develop attunement to clients’ needs/goals. 
• Recognize the need for, and practice the principles, skills, and strategies of, MI within your scope of practice in rehab therapy. 
• Illustrate how using MI skills/strategies combined with effective psychological interventions can improve clients’ overall functioning. 
• Recognize the need for, and practice psychological intervention skills (CBT, DBT, ACT, Behavioral Activation) within your scope of practice in rehab therapy 
• Verbalize the desired impact of at least four relaxation tools on ANS regulation and demonstrate the ability to clinically lead one relaxation strategy. 
• Describe how mindfulness and meditative movement can be integrated into a rehab therapy treatment plan and demonstrate the ability to lead one strategy.