Motivational Interviewing Therapy Program

Have you ever felt like in order to get through the day you needed a “pep talk” from a friend? We all sometimes need a little extra push to get through the day. And we very rarely think of this kind of help as therapy, although it is undoubtedly therapeutic. One of the ways to think about motivational interviewing therapy is as the ultimate pep talk. But the best part is that you don’t just listen to the therapist in an individual therapy program — you end up motivating yourself.

Motivational interviewing therapy helps individuals tap into their motivations, strengthen their commitment to change, and set achievable goals. Thus, this therapeutic technique helps to break the cycle of starting, quitting, and restarting an attempt to make positive changes.

What is Motivational Interviewing Therapy?

A motivational interviewing therapy session is structured as an individual session: only you and your therapist or counselor will be present. However, consistent with the principles of “person-” or “client-centered” therapy, you are in control of the conversation. The interviewer will start the conversation by encouraging you to talk openly about what needs to change in your life. And you will also be encouraged to reflect on the reasons you would like those changes to happen and on practical ways that you can bring about that change.

The role of the interviewer from that point on is to listen. Their other job is to affirm what you are saying, and, perhaps most important, to repeat your motivations, goals, and resolutions back to you. In this way, you can hear your reasoning expressed back to you, which helps to strengthen your commitment to changing your life for the better, and helps you to arrive at practical methods of achieving that change and reasonable goals.

What Happens During Motivational Interviewing?

There are four primary phases of motivational interviewing therapy:

With motivational interviewing, the therapist will never impose a set of ideas or be confrontational. Choosing every step towards change, the client always maintains autonomy. When internally driven, change is more authentic and more long-lasting.

With motivational interviewing, the therapist will never impose a set of ideas or be confrontational. Choosing every step towards change, the client always maintains autonomy. When internally driven, change is more authentic and more long-lasting.

What Makes Motivational Interviewing Therapy So Effective?

Mental healthcare professionals have found motivational interviewing therapy a reliable method because it has proven to be very good at allowing patients to do two things:

As a result of the above, motivational interviewing therapy can be one of the most effective therapeutic approaches for people seeking change in their lives.

Whom Does Motivational Interviewing Therapy Help?

Motivational interviewing can be applied to virtually all life circumstances in which an individual desires a change or an intervention. It is particularly useful in cases that involve:

With these behavioral health concerns, individuals often recognize that they need to make changes in their lives. Still, the very thing that needs to change (for example, addiction) makes it challenging to find the motivation to do so. Motivational interviewing draws out a person’s intrinsic motivation, and the therapist helps that person to plan a roadmap for lasting change.

What Makes a Good Motivational Interviewing Therapist?

There are several ways to approach the question of what makes an excellent motivational interviewer. First and foremost among these is the fact that they must be a mental health professional. Because motivational interviewing is a learned technique, some aspects require familiarity with the process and with the potential pitfalls and outcomes. An excellent motivational interviewer should also be a good listener, who is empathetic and supportive. They should allow you to talk, and enable you to express your ideas about what needs to change, as well as about how you can enact that change.