How well do you really know that people around you? A capacity for empathic understanding is hard-wired in our brains, but its full expression involves particular listening skills that are seldom learned through ordinary experience. Based on Dr. William R Miller's 2018 book, "Listening Well: The Art of Empathic Understanding", this class will offer clear explanations, specific examples, and practical exercises for developing your skillfulness in empathic listening.  We will discuss skills for expressing accurate empathy clearly and for strengthening therapeutic relationships as well as other close relationships in your life.  Through empathic understanding, you have access to life experience far beyond your own, and over time, listening well and deeply becomes a way of being.

This is an advanced training, that is appropriate for anyone who is interested in learning how to effectively communicate empathy to others. Whether you are a therapist, medical provider, teacher, parent or friend, your professional and personal life can benefit from learning more and developing skills in empathic understanding. 

The Trainers:

Alicia Shiver and Lindsay Worth are members of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and the co-owners of MITC Training based in Albuquerque, NM, USA. MITC was established in January 2017 and has since trained upwards of 10,000 people in evidenced based practices. Together Lindsay and Alicia have over 35 years of experience in behavioral health, addictions, clinical research, corrections, and education settings.

Alicia Shiver is a licensed addictions and mental health therapist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. She is currently acting as the Treasurer of MINT and is a Scientific Research Manager at the University of New Mexico, Center on Alcohol, Substance Use & Addictions (CASAA). Her professional interests include motivational interviewing, public health, harm reduction, neurodiversity, and community-based participatory research.

Lindsay Worth is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has worked in mental health and addictions research for 23 years. She has had the opportunity to work in a number of settings including prisons, schools, treatments centers, and tele-health environments. She currently spends time coding and coaching in MI using the MITI and MICA and serving as the MI Training Certification Coordinator for MINT.