Motivational Interviewing: Decrease Resistance & Increase Buy-in

Monica Gilbert examines conversations in which caregivers or school staff hesitate to change. This application-focused recording uses parent scenarios and a teacher role play to explore readiness, change talk, reflective listening and information exchange that respects the other person's autonomy.

Catalogue presenter credits: Monica Gilbert, Jennifer Rumfola.

MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (“BACB”) does not sponsor, approve, or endorse Special Learning, the materials, information, or sessions identified herein.

A teacher's objections to a token system anchor a debrief on persuasion, listening and the urge to fix the problem. A parent role play separates importance, confidence and readiness using a rating ruler. Jennifer Rumfola adds school and team-meeting perspectives.

The session works through open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries and elicit-provide-elicit information exchange. The examples center on children and caregivers, and the recording does not supply dedicated adolescent or adult residential applications.

What does this recording cover?

• The change-talk discussion distinguishes desire, ability, reasons, need and commitment from counter change talk.
• The readiness-ruler demonstration separates importance, confidence and readiness.
• The session examines open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening and summaries.
• Elicit-provide-elicit exchanges cover existing knowledge, permission to share information and checks of understanding.
• Stage-specific examples address precontemplation, contemplation and relapse.

Recording context: The recording date is not supplied. Research, professional requirements and examples reflect the discussion at the time of delivery.

Three selected learner comments

The six-item evaluation mean was 4.67/5 across 17 complete responses, from 103 recorded rating responses. This mean includes only complete six-score responses. Source: Special Learning's course evaluation records, snapshot October 11, 2026.

Three selected anonymous responses appear below, with the wording and spelling retained. They describe learners' experiences and requests; they are not a guarantee of results or a claim that these comments represent every learner.

5. This was very informative. I greatly appreciated the examples. They were extremely helpful.

Course evaluation response, 2024

Make the three step phases of MI very clear then discuss each phase. Examples were good.

Course evaluation response, 2025

I do feel some of this could be informative to my professional practice- but I work with adults in group home settings and many examples were not relevant to my current position.

Course evaluation response, 2025

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