The COVID-19 pandemic has gravely affected people’s lives creating a “new normal” with serious consequences impacting communities and individuals. This webinar aims to introduce healthcare practitioners to the usefulness of motivational interviewing (MI) in fostering collaborative conversations promoting public health behaviors, such as mask wearing and vaccine uptake, and navigating uncertainty in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. MI has been defined as person-centered method of guiding to elicit and strengthen personal motivation for change. It is designed to help people change a desired behavior by leveraging their own values and beliefs. MI is an egalitarian, empathetic "way of being". It is a collaborative communication style that uses specific strategies such as reflective listening, shared decision-making, and eliciting change talk. This interactive webinar will discuss how practicing MI can help practitioners cope better with the “new normal,” support patients in practicing public health behaviors, and address the challenges of the impact of the pandemic.

Speakers

Antoine B. Douaihy, MD

Cassandra L. Boness, MA

Disclosure(s)

The staff and faculty involved with the planning of today’s event do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose. The MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center does not endorse or recommend any commercial products, processes, or services. The representations and opinions expressed in this presentation are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent the views or policies of MA AETC, the University of Pittsburgh, or its funding agencies.

The speakers have no conflicts of interest to disclose.