Case Study: Motivational Interviewing Training for Case Managers
30 Case Managers.
Practical MI Skills.
Active Engagement.
Emprov delivered Motivational Interviewing training for 30 case managers at Homeward Bound of Marin, Marin County’s primary provider of supportive housing and shelter for unhoused adults, families, and veterans.
19 of 21 respondents gave the training a recommendation rating of 9 or 10.
Bridging the gap between theory and frontline practice.
Case managers at Homeward Bound of Marin navigate intense human encounters daily. Traditional, lecture-heavy presentations rarely create lasting behavioral change once staff return to client work. Communication training needed to build real-time frontline capability.
Turn Motivational Interviewing into an active, frontline capability.
Homeward Bound needed an experiential learning partner to move case managers past theoretical knowledge—building frontline capabilities that support resident trust, encourage autonomy, and strengthen long-term client outcomes.
Intentional design for active skill integration.
Emprov uses Empathic Improvisation, real-time modeling, and purposeful practice to help participants turn Motivational Interviewing concepts into usable frontline behaviors.
Practical MI Instruction
Core Motivational Interviewing concepts and communication frameworks grounded directly in daily frontline casework.
Empathic Improvisation
Every warm-up, energizer, connection exercise, and practice activity is adapted from improv and designed around a specific communication skill. Participants don't just hear about the skill—they experience what it feels like in action.
Real-Time Modeling
The facilitator models the communication behaviors throughout the session, giving participants a live example of what the skills sound and feel like in practice—not just what they look like on a slide.
Practice With Purpose
Structured practice scenarios designed to transition learning from immediate awareness into confident, everyday frontline habits.
A learning experience designed to move skills from understanding to use.
Emprov brings practical Motivational Interviewing instruction, Empathic Improvisation, real-time facilitator modeling, and purposeful practice together in one integrated learning experience. Participants learn the concepts, experience the communication behaviors, see them modeled in action, and practice applying them to the realities of frontline work.
Reported confidence using core Motivational Interviewing behaviors.
In post-training evaluations, participants reported greater confidence across key Motivational Interviewing practices.
What Participants Said They Would Do Differently
The truest test of training is transfer of learning—what staff actually intend to change when they return to their day-to-day client conversations.
“OARS is my new go-to tool.”
“More use of reflections.”
“I will utilize affirmations and reflections more in my work with my clients.”
“Listen while working towards outcomes versus just gathering information.”
Evaluation data is based on 21 post-training participant responses and reflects immediate self-reported perceptions of confidence and intentional behavioral change.
The content matters. So does how people experience it.
Communication training drives impact when people actively practice, reflect, and connect material directly to daily interactions.
“Hands down the most interactive training I've seen yet.”
“Engaged speaker with good exercises — worth it!”
Could this approach work for your team?
Emprov blends Motivational Interviewing with Empathic Improvisation and real-time skill modeling to move frontline teams from theoretical knowledge to active, everyday capability.
Tell us about your organization and the frontline communication challenge you're trying to solve.
Let's Connect