Communication & Behaviour Change Skills for Clinical Practice
🧠 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 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 Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
