Digital Seminar
Harm Reduction Therapy Training
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) Techniques for Self-Defeating Patterns, “Bad” Habits & Addictions Treatment
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Faculty:
- Ali Hall, JD, MINT Certified Trainer | Kristin Dempsey, EdD, LPCC, LMFT, MINT Certified Trainer
- Duration:
- 6 Hours
- Copyright:
-
Nov 13, 2025
- Product Code:
- POS150510
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
Not every client is ready or even wants to stop.
When you’re sitting with clients who struggle with drinking, procrastination, drug use, gaming, shopping, self-injury, or other self-defeating patterns, it’s not always about abstinence.
Sometimes it’s about reducing harm, building motivation, and helping them choose healthier behaviors step by step.
This is where many therapists feel stuck. Traditional abstinence-only approaches don’t fit every client. But simply “meeting them where they’re at” without exploring how they might want to change a grow isn’t enough either.
That’s why this harm reduction therapy training—grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Motivational Interviewing—offers such a powerful framework. You’ll join two renowned trainers, Kristin Dempsey and Ali Hall, who’ve trained thousands of therapists in MI, substance use and other process disorders, and harm reduction for this practice-enhancing training. Walk away with the skills to:
- Address the shame, ambivalence, and self-criticism that fuel destructive cycles
- Guide clients toward change without ultimatums or power struggles with MI
- Create momentum, even when complete abstinence isn’t the immediate goal
- Help clients live in-line with their values and aspirations as they work toward change with ACT techniques
Whether your clients are struggling with process addictions, SUDs, porn use, or just simply behaviors they want to change but haven’t figured out how yet—this training will equip you with the skills, approach, and confidence to help you help them break free from self-defeating cycles.
Give your clients something beyond “quit or fail.”
Learn the skills of harm reduction therapy, enroll now!
Credit
Handouts
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Harm Reduction Therapy Training (15.9 MB) | 55 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Harm Reduction Therapy Training - French (15.9 MB) | 55 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Harm Reduction Therapy Training - Italian (15.9 MB) | 55 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Harm Reduction Therapy Training - German (15.9 MB) | 55 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Harm Reduction Therapy Training - Spanish (15.9 MB) | 55 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Faculty
Ali Hall, JD, MINT Certified Trainer Related seminars and products
Ali Hall, JD, MINT Certified Trainer, is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), a MINT Certified Trainer, and an independent consultant and trainer. Ali currently serves on the MINT Board of Directors, focusing on professional skill development for MI practitioners and trainers. Ali served as a Lead Trainer for the International MINT Training for New Trainers (TNT) in Warsaw (2019), New Orleans (2018) and Berlin (2015). Ali has designed and facilitated more than 2500 Motivational Interviewing (MI) workshops for criminal justice, wraparound services, chronic disease and diabetes self-management educators, health care practitioners, health coaches, telephonic health service providers, social services providers, behavioral health clinicians, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, and provides training for trainers in evidence-based practices. Ali regularly presents at national and regional conferences for wraparound, criminal justice, health care providers, public health leaders and key organizational administrators.
Ali regularly provides MI coding and evaluation training, coding services and skill development coaching, and provides consultation to systems for establishing communities of practice and for effective, sustainable MI implementation. Ali is the co-developer of the Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment (MICA), a coding and coaching tool for MI skill improvement.
Ali regularly designs and evaluates MI interventions for funded research, including large national and international studies. Ali’s work with agencies includes creating skills development curricula for staff and materials for those served. Ali also regularly provides workshops in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), applications of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and integration of MI and skill building evidence-based practices. Ali is the co-author of an MI skill-building manual and toolkit, to be released in late 2020 (published by PESI Behavioral Health Continuing Education). Ali also serves as a reviewer for the National Registry for Evidence-Based Practices and Programs (NREPP).
Ali spent her undergraduate years at Occidental College in Los Angeles and completed her graduate studies in organizational behavior at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, as well as her J.D. at the Cornell University School of Law. In her spare time, Ali is a cold-water marathon swimmer, raising funds for under-resourced kid’s charities.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ali Hall receives compensation as an independent consultant and trainer. She is a member of MINT and is the co-developer of Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment. She receives royalties as a published author. Ali Hall receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ali Hall serves on the board of directors of MINT.
Kristin Dempsey, EdD, LPCC, LMFT, MINT Certified Trainer Related seminars and products
Kristin Dempsey, EdD, LPCC, LMFT, MINT Certified Trainer, frequently trains diverse mental health and helping professionals in MI, trauma-informed care, crisis interventions, and various cognitive behavioral and behavioral therapy approaches. She specialized in working with individuals experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use issues, trauma, and eating disorders, among other conditions. Kristin teaches from a strengths-based approach that explores values and meaning-building for clients, supervisees and clinicians alike.
Financial: Kristin Dempsey maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with the Wright Institute and the San Francisco State University. She receives royalties as a published author. Kristin Dempsey receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kristin Dempsey has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepepesi.com
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Define the terms harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
- Identify three characteristics of harm reduction that create a more open and flexible environment for individuals to explore their relationship with substances or compulsive behaviors.
- List the four components of the spirit of MI that help create psychological safety for individuals exploring their relationship with substances or compulsive behaviors.
- Apply the four motivational interviewing micro skills in conversations with people questioning their relationships to substances or processes.
- Analyze each of the six sections of the ACT hexaflex.
- State how choosing at least one important value can foster motivation and growth among individuals with substance use disorders or compulsive behaviors.
Outline
The Promise of Harm Reduction Therapy
- Harm reduction therapy and as a social movement
- What is harm reduction therapy and how to use it
- Key benefits of using harm reduction
- Overview of the types of interventions that help reduce harm
- Components of harm reduction therapy based on initial grounded research
Integrating Motivational Interviewing Strategies into Harm Reduction Therapy
- Definition of motivational interviewing and history of the approach in SUD treatment
- The “spirit” of MI and the importance of a trauma-informed approach to build trust
- The skills of MI – OARS and how the OARS build trust, choice, and empowerment
- The process of MI – The roadmap that can assist clinicians in when and how to move forward with harm reduction
- Case study demonstration: Client ambivalence about substance use in a harm reduction conversation.
Key Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Strategies for Harm Reduction Therapy
- Understand ACT and how ACT can assist in reducing distress and building hope
- The ACT “hexaflex” and its role in promoting psychological flexibility
- The importance of identify and building values in recovery
- Case study demonstration: Clinicians will use ACT defusion technique to help client manage their distress over recurrent thoughts about using.
- Case study demonstration: How to help client move toward taking steps (building basic goals) that move them toward their values.
Harm Reduction Approach for Self-Destructive Patterns & Maladaptive Habits
- Conceptualization and sample intervention for:
- Non-suicidal self-injury
- Aggressive interpersonal interactions
- Avoidance
- Procrastination
Harm Reduction Approach for Substance Use, Abuse & Process Addictions Treatment
- Harm Reduction for SUDs
- Conceptualization
- MI Interventions for SUD
- ACT interventions for SUD
Harm Reduction with ACT & MI for Repetitive Compulsive Behaviors (Process-Based)
- Gaming
- Online Shopping
- Pornography Use
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Case Managers
- Addiction Counselors
- Therapists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psych Nurses
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Reviews
Satisfaction Guarantee
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