Motivational Interviewing course

In this course you learn motivational interviewing according to Miller and Rollnick. You reduce resistance, increase motivation to change and find it easier to bring people round to “yes”.

9.1 from 4 reviews 4,6 on Google NRTO quality mark

Free cancellation up to four weeks before the start, so feel free to book now.

For a team or department? Arrange your own group, at your premises or ours. In-company for your team

In brief. Motivational Interviewing is a 1-day classroom course. You can take it in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Eindhoven or online, in a group of no more than 8 participants. The price is € 625,- excl. VAT per participant, including course materials, lunch on location and a certificate of attendance. For a team or department we also deliver this course in-company.

  • From resistance to genuine connection
  • Practice-based course with direct application
  • Scientifically substantiated according to Miller and Rollnick
  • Small groups, no more than eight participants
  • Personal programme following an intake
RobChristyJorisMarjorie

Your trainer: Rob, Christy, Joris or Marjorie 857 evaluations in total, averaging 8,8. View the trainers

Turning resistance into a wholehearted "yes"? With motivational interviewing according to Miller and Rollnick, you gain the tools to connect with the other person, explore ambivalence and elicit change talk. Practical, active and directly applicable in your work.

Description

Holding conversations with people who do not want something can be difficult. You have the other person's best interests at heart, but you do not always manage to bring the conversation to a good conclusion. Motivational interviewing is a conversation technique with which you reduce resistance, increase motivation for change and strengthen your relationship with the other person.

In this course you actively work with the theory and practice of motivational interviewing, based on the scientific work of Miller and Rollnick. You learn how to connect with the other person, how to deal with ambivalence and how to evoke change talk. Through plenty of practice in a safe atmosphere, you develop an approach that you can apply directly in your own practice.

For teams and organisations. We also deliver this course in-company, for example to a team of managers, to case managers or to a care team. We tailor the practice situations to the conversations you actually have.

Topics

The following topics, among others, are covered during the course:

  • What is motivational interviewing and where does it come from?
  • Resistance and ambivalence: what is it and how do you deal with it intelligently?
  • The four steps of a motivational conversation: how to get from no to yes
  • Eliciting change talk (also known as yes-talk)
  • Concluding your conversation successfully
  • Practising with your own workplace situations

Result

After this course you recognise resistance and ambivalence more quickly, and you know how to respond to it calmly. You connect better with the person you are talking to and steer the conversation purposefully towards change talk.

You have practised with the four steps from the method of Miller and Rollnick and can apply these in conversations with clients, customers, colleagues or people in your private environment. You conduct difficult conversations with more confidence and maintain the relationship even when you disagree.

You reduce resistance in a respectful way, you are a stronger conversation partner in difficult situations, you recognise what lies behind resistance, including in yourself, you know how to guide someone from "no" to "yes language", and you maintain a good relationship, even when the other person does not want something.

Target audience

This course is ideally suited to anyone whose work involves conversations. Think of coaches, healthcare workers, sales professionals, teachers, trainers, managers or consultants. Do you work a lot with clients, customers, pupils or colleagues who sometimes get stuck in resistance or doubt? Then this course will help you further.

You do not need any prior knowledge of motivational interviewing. An open attitude and the wish to improve your conversation technique are enough.

The method comes from healthcare, but works just as well in organisations: in an absence interview, an appraisal interview, with a colleague who is reluctant to go along with a change, or with a customer who is hesitating. Managers, HR advisers and case managers use it to turn resistance around without pushing.

Teaching method

You learn motivational interviewing mainly by doing it. After an intake, the trainer tailors the programme to your learning objectives. During the course you alternate short pieces of theory with exercises, role plays and practical situations from your own work.

You practise in a small group of no more than eight participants, so there is room for personal feedback and sufficient repetition. The atmosphere is safe and informal: you have every opportunity to experiment with new techniques and discover what works for you.

The approach is based on the work of Miller and Rollnick. You go home with concrete tools that you can apply immediately in your conversations.

Prior knowledge

You do not need any specific prior knowledge. It does help if, at work or privately, you regularly have conversations in which you notice that the other person is reluctant or hesitant. Would you like to handle those more smoothly? Then this course is a good match.

Practical information

Number of days
1 day
Course times
from 10 am to 5 pm
Teaching hours
6 hours
Education level
Suitable for all levels
Preparation time
None
Included
Course materials and lunch on site
Certificate
At the end of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance
Cancel
Free up to four weeks before the start (cancellation terms)

Language

The course is given in Dutch as standard. The trainer speaks English. English-language course materials can be used. If at least 3 participants register, the course can also be given entirely in English.

In-company

Would you like to organise this training for a whole group or several groups? This can be cost-effective. For example, we can tailor the content entirely to your organisation, and training a whole group is also cheaper.

Are you looking at large numbers of participants or a complete academy? That involves a great deal. Consider planning and communication, for example, or identifying and agreeing the objectives and content of the training. Or differences in level, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding. Fortunately, Learnit has extensive experience in this field (more than 25 years) and we are happy to help you through this process.

Request a quote More about Motivational Interviewing in-company

All start dates

1 training day. In order of date.

  • Fri 20 November 2026 Online · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 23 October Enrol
  • Fri 20 November 2026 Eindhoven · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 23 October Enrol
  • wo 23 december 2026 Rotterdam · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 25 November Enrol
  • Thu 4 February 2027 Amsterdam · 10:00–17:00Free cancellation until 7 January Enrol

No suitable start date? Send us a date request, and we'll look at the options together.

This course for your team?

Plan your own group on a date that suits you, at your office, at our premises or online. We tailor the content to your day-to-day work, and training a whole group is cheaper than individual bookings.

  • Your date and location
  • Tailored content
  • Multiple groups or an academy are also possible
  • More than 25 years' experience
Request a quote No obligation, an adviser will be in touch shortly How in-company works

What others say about this course

9.1
Motivational Interviewing course: average 9.1 from 4 reviews

"An instructive and dynamic tailor-made course."

Participant

“Learned a lot and gained new insights; the alternation between receiving information and then being able to practise within the group and process the information was very pleasant.”

L. Peters - Nomilk2day Engineering8.2

"It is an instructive course that you can use at work but certainly also in your private life. Everything is explained and practised step by step. You also take home a nice book with even more useful tips and interesting material."

R. Toftdal - Westfriesland Academie9.0

""An excellent trainer who shares the content in a didactically enjoyable way.""

Participant

“The content of the course is easy to apply in practice”

C. Brandsen-Nicolai - Vattenval N.V.10.0

"There was plenty of room to address everyone's personal issues. The trainer gave clear explanations and good examples. He really made me think!"

Participant

Training formats

Classroom

1 day€ 625,-
  • Pleasant venue with a good trainer
  • Small groups
  • Inspiring and motivating
Choose a date

Online

1 day€ 540,-
  • Online with a trainer
  • Personal
  • Practical and interactive
Choose a date

In-company

Bespoke trainingOn request
  • 100% for your group
  • Bespoke training
  • At your place or ours
View in-company

Workshop

Up to 4 hours for groupsOn request
  • Suitable for events
  • Interactive and inspiring
  • Large groups too
Request a quote

Private training

At our place or yoursOn request
  • 100% just for you
  • Achieve a lot in little time
  • Whenever you want
Request a quote

Frequently asked questions

Can I cancel free of charge?

Yes. Up to four weeks before the first day of the course you can cancel free of charge, without giving a reason. You then receive a credit note or, if you have already paid, a refund. If you cancel later, you pay part of the course fee: 25% between four and two weeks before the start, 75% in the two weeks before it and 100% in the final week. Moving to another start date is free of charge up to two weeks before the start, after that 50%. Sending a colleague in your place is always possible. Read the cancellation terms.

Who is the Motivational Interviewing course suitable for?
The Motivational Interviewing course is suitable for anyone whose work involves conversations with people who are resistant to change. Think of coaches, care workers, healthcare professionals, managers, consultants, trainers, sales staff and teachers. You learn to reduce resistance and increase motivation for change, based on the scientific work of Miller and Rollnick. No prior knowledge is required.
What will you learn during the Motivational Interviewing course?
During the Motivational Interviewing course you learn to reduce resistance and increase motivation for change, based on the academic work of Miller and Rollnick. You work on four conversation steps: dealing with ambivalence, connecting with the other person, eliciting change talk and bringing the conversation to a successful close. You practise actively with real situations from your own work.
Which conversation technique is covered in the Motivational Interviewing course?
The course is based on the method of Miller and Rollnick, the academic founders of motivational interviewing. You learn to work with the four steps for moving from resistance to 'yes language', to recognise ambivalence and to elicit change talk. The course is taught in a classroom setting in groups of no more than eight participants.
Is prior knowledge required for the Motivational Interviewing course?
No, no prior knowledge is required for the Motivational Interviewing course. You can start straight away, whatever your background as a coach, care worker, manager, adviser or healthcare professional. Prior to the course, an intake takes place in which the trainer identifies your personal learning objectives. On that basis, the programme for the course day is tailored to your situation.
How large is the group on the Motivational Interviewing course?
The Motivational Interviewing course is given in a small group of no more than eight participants. This group size gives you enough personal attention from the trainer and room to practise conversation techniques actively. An intake takes place beforehand, so that the programme matches your personal learning objectives and workplace situations.
What is the difference between motivational interviewing and an ordinary conversation techniques course?
Motivational interviewing (MI) is a specific method, developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, aimed at reducing resistance and eliciting change talk in the other person. A general conversation techniques course covers skills such as active listening, summarising and probing in a broad sense. MI goes a step further: you learn to work with ambivalence, to go through four processes (engaging, focusing, evoking, planning) and to deliberately elicit 'yes talk' from someone who is actually reluctant. At Learnit you get (classroom-based, maximum 8 participants) the theory and practice of this specific method. Choose this if you work with clients, customers or employees where resistance is a recurring theme. Not if you mainly want to improve general communication.
When should you choose a classroom Motivational Interviewing course rather than a book or an online course?
A classroom course makes sense if you really want to apply the technique in conversations, not just understand it. Motivational interviewing is about subtle skills: reflective listening, dealing with ambivalence and eliciting change talk. You learn these mainly by practising and getting immediate feedback on your tone, choice of words and timing. The book by Miller and Rollnick gives you the theory, but it does not hold up a mirror to your own conversational behaviour. An online course lacks the space to practise with other participants. At Learnit you practise in a classroom setting in a group of no more than eight people, with a trainer who brings in your own practical situations. Choose classroom if you encounter resistance in real conversations and want to be able to test your skills straight away. Choose self-study if your interest is purely theoretical.
Can I also apply motivational interviewing outside my work, for example in conversations with family or friends?
Yes. The method of Miller and Rollnick was developed in addiction care, but it works in any situation in which someone is ambivalent or resistant. During the course you practise techniques that you can use just as well with a colleague who is unwilling to go along with a change, a teenager who does not want to adjust their behaviour, or a family member who is stuck on a choice. The four steps from no to yes and the eliciting of change talk are context-independent. One nuance, though: in personal relationships your role is different from your role as a professional. You are not a neutral conversation partner, which makes it harder to set aside your own judgement. The course gives you a framework you can use in both contexts.
How quickly can I actually apply motivational interviewing in my conversations after the course?
The techniques from motivational interviewing can be applied immediately after the course day. During the classroom course you actively practise the four steps from Miller and Rollnick's model, recognising resistance and ambivalence, and eliciting change talk. Because the group has a maximum of eight participants, you get plenty of practice time with realistic conversation situations. You can expect the basic skills, such as reflective listening and dealing with resistance, to be usable on the very next working day. Really using change talk smoothly and consciously steering a conversation usually takes a few weeks of deliberate practice in your own conversations. The more conversations you have that involve resistance, the sooner the technique becomes second nature.
What makes motivational interviewing according to Miller and Rollnick different from classic persuasion techniques?
Motivational interviewing (MI) was developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick and is based on a fundamentally different principle from classic persuasion techniques. When persuading, you try to move the other person towards your point of view with arguments, which often backfires when there is resistance. MI works the other way round: you connect with the other person's ambivalence and elicit what is known as change talk, so that the motivation to change comes from your conversation partner themselves. This is scientifically substantiated and is used in healthcare, addiction services, education and coaching, among other fields. In the classroom-based course you actively practise the four steps of a motivational conversation, recognising resistance and eliciting yes-talk. The maximum group size is eight participants.
Does motivational interviewing also work with people who are not at all open to change, such as a colleague who shows no self-insight whatsoever?
Yes, that is precisely what the method was developed for. Miller and Rollnick originally developed motivational interviewing in addiction care, where clients often saw no problem or actively rejected change. The technique works by not fighting resistance, but acknowledging and exploring it. You connect with the other person's frame of reference and elicit change talk, rather than putting forward arguments that only reinforce the resistance. An important nuance: motivational interviewing increases the chance of movement, but does not guarantee change. Ultimately, people have to take the step themselves. With a colleague who lacks self-insight, the method mainly ensures that the relationship remains intact and that ambivalence becomes visible. Often the starting point for change later on. During the Learnit course day (classroom-based, maximum eight participants) you explicitly practise these kinds of difficult situations.
How much does the Motivational Interviewing course cost and how long does it last?

You can find the current price at the top right of this course page, along with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.

Can I also use motivational interviewing as a manager or HR adviser?
Yes. The method comes from healthcare, but it is widely used in organisations in absence interviews, appraisal interviews and during changes that employees are apprehensive about. You learn to connect with what the other person wants themselves, instead of trying to convince them. During the course you practise with situations from your own work.

Next start date: Fri 20 November 2026 in Eindhoven, can also be attended online

Free cancellation up to four weeks before the start, so you can secure a place now.

€ 625,-excl. VAT · next start Fri 20 Nov
Choose a date