Autonomy-Supportive Practice in Therapy

How do we help clients move from talking about change to actually living it?

Most clients want to get better, but many struggle to maintain momentum once they leave the office. This training offers the evidence-based framework to turn clinical breakthroughs into lasting, values-aligned action. Best of all, these strategies are modality-agnostic; whether you practice CBT, IFS, Psychodynamic, or Somatic work, this model acts as a powerful "relational plugin" to enhance the effectiveness of the tools you already use.

Bridging the Gap from Intent to Action:

While many clients enter therapy with a sincere desire to change, the transition from "saying" to "doing" often stalls. This training provides clinicians with a specific, evidence-based framework to bridge that gap. By mastering autonomy-supportive strategies, you will learn how to amplify a client’s internal resolve, ensuring that the work done in session translates into lasting, real-world behavior. This model increases clinical effectiveness by teaching you how to align your therapeutic interventions with the client's own core values, turning verbal goals into sustainable, values-aligned momentum.

Course Description

This webinar introduces an autonomy-supportive model of therapy and its application across client populations and presenting concerns. Grounded in self-determination theory, the course explores how therapists can use autonomy-supportive language and strategies to strengthen clients’ sense of agency in treatment. Participants will learn how these practices shape the therapeutic relationship, enhance motivation and engagement, and support sustainable change by fostering self-efficacy and values-aligned action.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the core principles of the autonomy-supportive model and the relevant psychological science underpinning it (e.g., self-determination theory).

2. Identify autonomy-supportive versus controlling practices in everyday therapeutic interactions.

3. Apply autonomy-supportive strategies across diverse populations and presenting concerns.

4. Articulate how autonomy-supportive practice informs the skill-building and behavior change that therapists aim to support in clients.

5. Integrate autonomy-supportive principles as a clinical “through-line” that complements existing therapeutic orientations.