New Event

Grief is a frequent but often unspoken presence in conversations about behaviour change. Clients may grieve losses related to relationships, identity, health, opportunities, or imagined futures—often alongside regret, self-blame, or shame. Practitioners, too, may carry grief connected to client setbacks, relapses, or outcomes that do not unfold as hoped. This workshop explores how grief shows up in motivational interviewing conversations, particularly when intertwined with shame, ambivalence, and self-criticism. Drawing on the spirit of MI, the session invites practitioners and trainers to reflect on how compassionate presence can support both clients and clinicians in navigating loss without avoidance, judgment, or premature problem-solving. Integrating insights from compassion-focused approaches and mindful self-compassion, participants will explore practical ways to recognise grief, respond skilfully to shame-based material, and maintain an MI-consistent stance that supports emotional regulation, values-based change, and resilience. The workshop will include brief teaching, reflection, and experiential exercises, with a focus on deepening compassionate engagement while staying grounded in MI principles. With your purchase, you will receive 240 days of on-demand access to watch and revisit every session at your own pace. This program will not offer Continuing Education (CEs).

What you'll learn

Identify how grief related to behaviour change can present in MI conversations, including its links with regret, shame, ambivalence, and sustain talk.

Apply compassion as a core element of the MI spirit to respond skilfully to grief- and shame-based material, maintaining partnership, acceptance, and psychological safety without moving prematurely into problem-solving.

Integrate compassion-informed MI strategies to support both client and practitioner resilience, enhancing reflective listening, self-regulation, and the capacity to stay engaged in difficult conversations involving loss and self-criticism.

Important notice: This program will be hosted live on Zoom. To protect the integrity and confidentiality of the learning space, no recording or redistribution is authorized. Participants are expected to attend the live session in full. Participants will have access to the recording for 240 days to watch at their own pace.

Meet the speaker

Stan Steindl

Brisbane, Australia

Dr Stan Steindl is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice at Psychology Consultants Pty Ltd, and an Adjunct Professor at School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group. Stan has over 20 years experience as a therapist, supervisor, trainer and researcher, and works with clients from motivational interviewing and compassion focused therapy perspectives. https://www.stansteindl.com/

Working with Grief, Shame and Compassion in Motivational Interviewing

Stan Steindl talks more about his upcoming program.

Working with Grief, Shame, and Compassion in Motivational Interviewing

What you'll learn

Meet the speaker

Stan Steindl

Working with Grief, Shame and Compassion in Motivational Interviewing