The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Describe how practitioners can use the concept of motivational practice and personal evidence to address the limits and constraints of evidence-based guidelines. Understand why personal and professional change* can enhance the lifelong learning process of practitioners enhancing their motivational skills in addressing the complex challenge of tobacco cessation with resistant smokers (*In other words, use a continuing professional development model to improve their own health habits and change their professional role from a health advisor to a motivational guide). Demonstrate a series of motivational skills that practitioners can use to initiate "change dialogues" with resistant smokers

Methods: A blended of learning methods will help practitioners to understand how they can work with resistant smokers when the evidence-based interventions do not work. After a mini-didactic presentation, all participants will experience the process of developing personal evidence by completing a decision balance on themselves and assessing their own resistance and motivation to change their own behavior, based on what they thought and how they felt. A videotape will demonstrate how to initiate change dialogues with resistant smokers by using a decision balance to clarify their issues about change, assessing (emotional and cognitive) their resistance and motivation to quit, using non-direct interventions to reduce resistance and using direct interventions to enhance motivation.

Results: Participants will evaluate their own learning experience as part of the workshop. A brief summary will report the impact of a full day workshop for the Irish North West Regional Smoking Cessation Service.