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Learning About Brief Behaviour Change Counselling

Cost
: R 652.17 incl. 0% VAT
Expiry Date
: 01/10/2026
CPD Units
: 4.00 Points
Rating
: 3.7/4
This course serves as an introduction to Brief Behaviour Change Counselling, where you will get to know which skills are required to help your patients make better lifestyle choices. This introductory course requires you to complete MCQ’s to earn 4 CPD points, while the Advanced Behaviour Change Counselling course requires that you complete a practical element for 8 CPD points and it can be viewed here.

Understand how to motivate lifestyle change in your patients and reduce their risk of disease through theory and modelling. This new model of brief behaviour change counselling can be integrated into the consultation to improve physical activity, stop smoking, reduce harmful alcohol use, eat more healthily, have safer sex or improve adherence to medication. This course is aimed at all healthcare professionals to assist them, especially when dealing with high risk patients as well as those patients who seek lifestyle related advice.

4 CPD Points for 4 Hours of effort with access for 6 months

Price: R 750.00 incl. VAT



Presenter and co-author: Dr Zelra Malan (Stellenbosch University)   
Co-author: Prof Bob Mash (Stellenbosch University)

Provided to you in association with the South African Academy of Family Physicians (SAAFP)
SAAFP members will receive a 15% discount on the selling price of the course, please email your SAAFP membership number to us to claim your discount. Contact us.



Evidence shows that Brief Behaviour Change Counselling from a primary healthcare provider results in between 5–15% of patients changing their behaviour (examples include: increasing physical activity, stopping smoking or substance abuse, eating healthily and taking steps to address obesity or weight problems).

This course introduces a new approach to Brief Behaviour Change Counselling for healthcare professionals. The approach is rooted in both the 5A structure (Ask, Alert, Assess, Assist, and Arrange) and a guiding communication style, based on motivational interviewing principles.

Course Goal / Aim:

This course aims to train healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds, who work in a variety of settings, to use a best practice Brief Behaviour Change Counselling method for patients with risky lifestyle behaviours. Healthcare providers give evidence-based, accurate information, and offer effective guidance and referral.

Educational outcomes:

Upon completion of this course primary healthcare providers will be able to: 

  1. distinguish and recognise the directive vs guiding style when conducting Brief Behaviour Change Counselling

  2. understand reflective listening during Brief Behaviour Change Counselling

  3. elicit, recognise, respond and strengthen change talk during counselling

  4. assess the patient’s readiness to change during brief behaviour change counselling

  5. understand the 5As to each risky lifestyle behaviour with the ABBCC tool.