Chris Higgs - 30 DoS - Day 9

Chris Higgs is the Clinical Education Programme Lead at the University of Otago, School of Physiotherapy in Dunedin.

He is involved with Clinical Education in the Undergraduate Programme, predominantly in the area of lifestyle interventions for people with long-term health conditions. His clinical and research work primarily focuses on community group exercise and education interventions for people with diabetes and associated multi-morbidity. He commenced his Motivational Interviewing (MI) journey in 2009 completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Health Behaviour Change). Since then, he has led undergraduate and postgraduate MI training with physiotherapy students and experienced physiotherapy professionals. Chris is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, an international organisation of trainers in MI.

What do you bring to the CPN? - An attention to the importance of the language we use as therapists and how this affects our relationships and outcomes with our clients.

How would you like to see the critical physiotherapy community develop over the next few years? - Ongoing critical, collegial and compassionate dialogue about who, what, where and when we are as a profession. What directions are we headed in and why and are these the best directions for us to be headed in?

How would you like to see the broader physiotherapy profession develop? We consolidate our place as a helpful health profession that has a firm grounding in science and the provision of holistic person-centred health care for the nation with a focus on equity and providing high-value care.