In the context of serious illness and end-of-life care, patients and families often face emotionally complex and value-laden medical decisions. Motivational Interviewing (MI) offers a practical, evidence-based approach for helping people resolve ambivalence and clarify their values in a way that guides them toward positive change and growth.
This interactive session will introduce the core principles and techniques of MI and provide opportunities for skill development. This session will also explore how MI can be applied in hospice, palliative care, and hospital settings to support patients and caregivers through difficult decisions. With a focus on compassionate presence, reflective listening, and strategic questioning, attendees will learn how MI can enhance their communication toolkit, resolve ambivalence, and strengthen trust in the therapeutic relationship.
Chesapeake Life Center is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for 3 Category 1 continuing education units.
Christopher Wirt, LCSW-C is the Executive Branch Director with Bethany Christian Services where he oversees this organization’s efforts to serve children and families in Maryland and Virginia. In this role, he oversees programs working with children who are unaccompanied refugee migrants as well as infant and foster care adoption services.
He has been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), an international organization committed to promoting excellence in training of Motivational Interviewing (MI) since 2018 and has offered MI training to a wide variety of professionals across the country.
Mr. Wirt has presented at national conferences on topics related to Motivational Interviewing and has numerous professional publications, including co-authoring chapters on Motivational Interviewing in books published by the Child Welfare League of America (2023) and The American Academy of Pediatrics (anticipated 2026).
Mr. Wirt’s direct practice experience includes sixteen years of working with children and families involved in the child welfare system, primarily in foster care and adoption services. In addition, he was a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Social Work for 12 years where he focused on teaching and training related to child welfare practice and Motivational Interviewing. He currently teaches a graduate level MI course at the University of Buffalo.
He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1995, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland in 2003.
