Choices & Changes

Choices and Changes: Motivating Healthy Behaviours is designed to help health care providers support their clients in changing health behaviors. Behaviour change is a process and not just a single event. The goal of the intervention is to facilitate movement along the road to change. Using the Conviction and Confidence model, Stages of Change, and behaviour change research evidence, health care providers will be able to tailor interventions to increase conviction and/or confidence around a client’s specific health behaviour change.

The workshop format provides health care providers with an opportunity to explore their own beliefs about the change process, and learn about the relevant research evidence. The program also provides specific, brief and efficient communication strategies that can be utilized as part of a client visit.

The workshop is divided into three parts:

1. Summary of research about health behavior change. The research evidence shows that clinicians can have a positive impact on patients’ health behaviors including self-management strategies that enhance chronic illness outcomes; adherence to specific treatment recommendations; avoidance, reduction or cessation of unhealthy behaviors; and adoption of healthy behaviors.
2. Clinicians’ roles and ideas and beliefs about change.
3. Focus on patients. Change models, skills and specific strategies are applied to our work with our patients to help patients change their health behaviors and improve their ability to self-manage their conditions.
   

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

1. Describe two theoretical models of behavior change that can guide conversations with patients.
2. Demonstrate three motivational interviewing core skills.
3. Describe the four key elements of the visit with a patient/client.
4. Put into practice two techniques to use in clinical settings to influence change.
   

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