Foundational Counseling & Motivational Interviewing
The Problem
Frontline staff providing services to queer and trans communities
are often expected to support people through:
- Mental health challenges
- Trauma
- Substance use
- HIV and chronic illness
- Systemic stigma and marginalization
But most haven’t had access to structured counseling training.
So staff are left to figure it out in real time — in high-stakes, emotionally complex situations.
What We Do: Learn By Doing
We provide practical counseling and motivational interviewing training for staff working in LGBTQ+ serving organizations.
Our programs help participants build confidence, strengthen communication skills, and respond more effectively in real-world conversations.
Training is interactive, skills-based, and grounded in practice.
How It Works
Our flagship
Foundational Counseling and Motivational Interviewing Certificate program is a:
20-week | 40-hour live training (Zoom-based)
Participants learn through:
- Brief, focused teaching
- Small group practice
- Real-time coaching
- Structured feedback + coding tool
Each weekly 2 hour training session includes rotating roles:
- Counselor
- Client
- Coder
This ensures participants don’t just understand
the skills and counseling tools
— they develop and experience them through practice.
Why Our Approach Works
Most training programs focus on information.
Our approach focuses on skill development.
Participants spend the majority of their time practicing counseling conversations, receiving feedback, and refining their skills in a supportive learning environment.
The result is greater confidence and a stronger ability to apply what they learn in their day-to-day work.
What Staff Learn
Participants build foundational counseling and
motivational interviewing capacity in:
- Open-ended questions
- Reflective listening (simple and complex reflections)
- Assessing stage of change
- Evoking and responding to change talk
- Working with ambivalence and sustain talk
- Trauma-informed communication
- Using Minority Stress Model
Participants also learn 6 structured counseling tools they can use immediately in their work.
Successful completion earns the
Sexual and Gender Minority Counseling Training Hub's
Foundational Counseling and Motivational Interviewing Certificate
Organizational Impact
Organizations that invest in counseling training often see:
- Increased staff confidence
- More consistent quality of support
- Improved client engagement
- Better handling of complex situations
- Reduced staff burnout
Participants report feeling more prepared to navigate difficult conversations while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
Who We Work With
We work with organizations across the United States, Canada and globally, including:
- LGBTQ+ community organizations
- HIV/AIDS service organizations
- Harm reduction programs
- Peer support teams
- Community health organizations
About the Training
This training was developed and delivered through the
HOPE Centre for Gender & Sexual Minority People
at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Our team has over 15 years of experience training frontline staff working in queer communities.
Foundational Counseling & Motivational Interviewing
Build your team’s counseling capacity
→ Book a call to explore training for your organization
→ Request a training overview