Change is difficult for most people, yet it is the driving force behind most service planning and goal setting. Motivational interviewing (MI), developed by William R. Miller, PhD, and Stephen Rollnick, PhD, is an evidence-based intervention that helps people recognize and address problem behavior (present or potential), and is intended to help resolve ambivalence and get a person moving along the path to change. MI serves as an important prelude to other treatment and services by creating an “openness” to change, which paves the way for further important therapeutic work. This training introduces the basic principles and skills associated with MI, including: open-ended questions, affirming, reflective listening, and summarizing (OARS); expressing empathy; rolling with resistance; and avoiding common roadblocks to change. It also offers a foundation for Foundations of Motivational Interviewing (MI): Part 2, which expands these skills into actual “change talk” and promotes committing to change. Providers trained in MI are often able to work effectively with the change process that many service recipients go through in their personal journeys towards recovery.