To get through a tough day, have you ever felt like you needed a “pep talk” from a friend? Motivational interviewing therapy is 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 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.

Whom Does Motivational Interviewing Therapy Help?

Motivational interviewing can be applied to virtually all life circumstances desiring a change or intervention. Particularly, it is useful for:

• Substance abuse treatment programs
• Anger management
• Inpatient anxiety treatment
• Panic disorders

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

What Happens During Interviewing?

There are four primary phases of motivational interviewing therapy:

• Engage — The therapist asks questions about the individual’s hopes, struggles, and concerns.
• Focus — The therapist asks questions that help the individual narrow down the specific behaviors that they would like to change.
• Evoke — The therapist asks questions that help the individual gauge their confidence in the change, their readiness, and willingness to change and their understanding of the importance of change.
• Plan — The therapist asks questions that allow the individual to identify specific steps to take to make the change.

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 long-lasting.

Promises Behavioral Health offers motivational interviewing alongside several other mental health treatment programs. Are you ready to get started? Call us today at 844.875.5609.