Brief Action Planning

Brief Action Planning (BAP) is a self-management support technique that involves using a structured step-by-step process to help individuals set goals and make concrete action plans. For clients who are ready to make changes, BAP uses elements from Motivational Interviewing, behaviour change theory and research to create a clear set of questions and skills to guide you in supporting a client make an action plan, and take actionable steps towards change.

Using the Spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI)- Compassion, Acceptance, Partnership and Evocation, along with the foundational communication skills of MI, you will learn skills and structured questions associated with this self-management support technique.

A completed plan has the following attributes:

1. The plan is client-centered, representing what the client actually wants to do, not what the health care provider is telling them to do.

2. The plan is behaviourally specific.

3. The client’s confidence in the plan is high- usually 7 or more on a 0-10 scale.

4. The plan is associated with a specific time to review.

Health Care Providers who attend this training will be able to:

1. Verbalize an understanding of the Spirit of MI

2. Identify the four processes of MI

3. Identify and have experience using the 5 skills and 3 questions central to Brief Action Planning.

The workshop is offered as a one day training that can be tailored in length depending on the needs and size of your group. Group size can be from 6-24 participants and involves presentations, videos, activities and skills practice in small groups along with large group discussion.

For more information, please contact Martha Wiggin, Training & Outreach Facilitator