Communication & Behaviour Change Skills for Clinical Practice

Date

Sat, 21 Feb 2026

Time

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Next Occurrence

Cost

£155.00

Location

_______Online via Zoom

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🧠 Course Overview

Format: Online, interactive (Zoom)
Duration: THREE SESSIONS × 4 HOURS = 12 hours total
Target Audience:
Soft Tissue Therapists, Sports Therapists, Massage Therapists, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Dieticians / Nutritionists, Coaches / Personal Trainers

Next Course Dates:
Session 1 – Saturday 21st February 1pm to 5pm
Session 2 – Saturday 28th February 1pm to 5pm
Session 3 – Saturday 7th March 1pm to 5pm


 

🗨️ Why This Course Matters

Effective communication is at the heart of quality healthcare. Whether you’re supporting a client or patient through health related behaviour & lifestyle changes, or collaborating with colleagues, your ability to communicate clearly, empathetically, and persuasively can dramatically influence outcomes. Rather than blaming clients for ‘not doing what we told them’, we now understand that achieving a behaviour or lifestyle change, even if temporary, is often not as easy as it sounds, and we the practitioner can often be the catalyst for either success or failure.

Communication & Behaviour Change Skills for Clinical Practice‘ is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills and strategies needed to navigate the complex human dynamics of clinical practice. Delivered online by Matt Phillips, Running Injury & Performance Specialist and host of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, the course will guide you through a selection of approaches that illustrate how small, simple tweaks to our normal way of communicating can help clients & patients embrace positive, meaningful behaviour change, and see opportunity in our professional advice rather than hinderance & challenge. Blending evidence-based communication techniques with practical behaviour change models, the course will help you to:

✨Build stronger relationships with patients
✨ Encourage adherence to treatment plans
✨ Handle challenging conversations with confidence
✨  Promote long-term health behaviour change

Over the three sessions, you will explore real-world scenarios, practice key techniques, and reflect on your own communication style. By the end of the course, you will have a toolkit of approaches to enhance your clinical effectiveness and improve patient outcomes.


Session Breakdown

Session 1: Foundations of Clinical Communication

Duration: 4 hours
Focus: Core principles of effective communication in healthcare

Topics
• Introduction to communication in clinical settings
• Active listening and empathy
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Building rapport and trust
• Cultural competence and patient-centred care

Activities
• Role-play scenarios
• Breakout group discussions
• Analysis of clinical interactions

Homework
• Reflective journal: Write about a recent patient interaction and identify communication strengths and areas for improvement
• Read: Selected chapters/articles on empathy and listening in healthcare


Session 2: Behaviour Change Models & Techniques

Duration: 4 hours
Focus: Applying psychological models to support patient behaviour change

Topics
• Introduction to behaviour change theories (e.g., COM-B, Transtheoretical Model, Motivational Interviewing)
• Identifying barriers to change
• Setting SMART goals with patients
• Using open-ended questions and affirmations

Activities
• Case study analysis
• Practice motivational interviewing in pairs
• Group feedback on communication strategies

Homework
• Apply a behaviour change technique with a patient and document the experience
• Prepare a short presentation on a chosen behaviour change model


Session 3: Advanced Communication & Challenging Conversations

Duration: 4 hours
Focus: Managing complex interactions and promoting sustained change

Topics
• Handling resistance & ambivalence
• Delivering difficult news with compassion
• De-escalation & conflict resolution
• Sustaining behaviour change over time

Activities
• Simulation exercises with feedback
• Peer coaching sessions
• Structured reflection & action planning

Homework
• Final reflection: What communication and behaviour change skills will you integrate into your practice?
• Optional: Submit a video or written case study demonstrating learned skills


📘 Supporting Materials

  • Zoom slides will be shared after each session (PDF)
  • Behaviour change model cheat sheets
  • Recommended reading list


Minimal Requirements Of Qualification:

All health care practitioners with Level 3 qualification or above are welcome to join the course, but attendees must be aware of their own personal scope of practice, as directed by their personal level of qualification.



About The Presenter

Matt Phillips

Matt Phillips is a Running Injury & Performance Specialist with over ten years of clinical experience in a multidisciplinary practice. He created his website Runchatlive.com and the Runchatlive Podcast to help MSK therapists, coaches & runners move beyond outdated approaches, and adopt a more evidence-informed approach for injury prevention & management. A sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, Matt has contributed to numerous websites and magazines and spent time in Nairobi helping establish one of the first gait analysis clinics in Kenya. His hybrid CPD course, ‘Gait Analysis For Runners: A Modern Approach‘, offered online and in-person, is highly popular.

Matt also has a long history of working in further education, helping a diverse range of students & professionals improve their communication skills. He has recently launched a new online CPD course ‘Communication & Behaviour Change Skills for Clinical Practice‘ , blending evidence-based communication techniques with practical behaviour change models to provide health care practitioners with a selection of approaches to help clients & patients embrace positive, meaningful behaviour change, and see opportunity in professional advice rather than hinderance & challenge. Full details are available at The ST School website.

Matt is also host of the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, now in its fifth year. Recorded live every Tuesday on the Sports Therapy Association YouTube channel since November 2020, the podcast is available on Apple PodcastsSpotify and YouTube.

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By booking this event you can attend all occurrences. Some of them are listed below but there might be more.
Sat 21st Feb 2026 1:00 pm – Sat 21st Feb 2026 5:00 pm
Sat 28th Feb 2026 1:00 pm – Sat 28th Feb 2026 5:00 pm
Sat 7th Mar 2026 1:00 pm – Sat 7th Mar 2026 5:00 pm
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Ticket (for all three sessions)
£195
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Available Tickets: Unlimited
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Early Bird Ticket (available until 31/12/25)
£155
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Available Tickets: Unlimited
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Date

Sat, 21 Feb 2026

Next Occurrence

Time

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Cost

£155.00

Location

_______Online via Zoom

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    hours

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REGISTER