Motivational Interviewing (MI): Definition, Application, Activity and Effectivity.

Motivational Interviewing and Addiction Treatment 

Unlike the previous form of substance use counseling that was more forceful and confrontational, MI is client-centered and draws on the motivation inherent within clients. This helps clients to find their motivations for changing, enhancing that motivation and giving clients the will to make their own decisions. MI also ensures that clients are thinking about how their choices affect themselves and others.

A core tenet of MI is that this is a collaborative relationship. The therapist is not the expert. They are instead just a guide that helps the client recognize and enhance their motivation. Many clients come to therapy thinking they have no motivation to change, but they might soon recognize that family, friends, internal drives, or even work are reasons they want to reduce or stop using substances.

MI uses reflective listening, recognition of discrepancy, and the ability to overcome resistance since many clients become confrontational with clinicians during the early stages of change. A proficient MI therapist will be able to work with these clients while helping them understand their reasons for change.

MI and Other Theories 

An important distinction for clinicians, though perhaps not as important for clients, is whether MI can be used simultaneously with other counseling theories. A counseling theory such as CBT creates an entire framework that determines how the counselor approaches the client, what topics they discuss, and how they go about guiding the client. Many clinicians tend to blend two or more theories when working with clients.

Despite seeming like a theory, the creators of MI have asserted that it’s more of a technique that can be seamlessly blended into any other theory. It is most often combined with CBT, but it can also be combined with other theories and even by those who aren’t mental health professionals. This is meant to be used in settings where clients have low motivation to change or poor adherence to guidelines and need help getting to a consistent point.

When combining MI with CBT, the clinician can use CBT to help a client explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while MI keeps them motivated and consistent with treatment.

The first element of the MI Spirit is collaboration. This means that the client and clinician are a team and are collaborating on a problem. This changes the perspective of the therapist being the expert and always being right and instead makes it a team of two people trying to discover what the true issues are along with what works and what doesn’t.

The second element of the MI Spirit is evoking. A trained therapist has likely heard all sorts of different reasons for change, and they have read about many reasons as well. The most common reasons why people want to change include family, friends, or internal reasons.

In reality, you may or may not care about these motivators. They need to be personalized for you. MI teaches therapists to listen to your words and to draw out your reasons for changing instead of imposing what they think the reason should be. For example, a confrontational therapist might tell you that you’re hurting your family and must change for them. An MI therapist will hear you talk about your family and will figure out why you want to change for them and how to best help with that.

The third element is autonomy. This means that you have the autonomy to change. The truth is that no therapist can force you to change. Lasting change must be a very personal decision for the addict.

The last element is compassion. No matter how the process goes, the therapist will not judge you and will strive to demonstrate a compassionate attitude. An MI therapist understands that you’re trying your best and that change takes on many forms and can be messy at times. They will be there for you to help you even after a lapse or other difficulties.

Change and Sustain Talk

MI is considered an evidence-based modality that is quite successful. There are over 1,100 peer-reviewed articles and upwards of 200 clinical studies about MI.

It has been found that this helps with promoting healthy behaviors while reducing problematic ones. While it’s used primarily for substance use, it’s also been found to help with other behaviors as well. This is because it finds your reason for wanting to change and keeps that at the forefront.

Conclusion

If you are looking for addiction treatment near Columbus, OH, then look no further than White Light Behavioral Health. Our trained clinicians use MI and other evidence-based modalities to help guide clients toward change. This can help you on the road to recovery and ensure that you stay strong along the path even when it gets tough.

Contact us today, and let us help you recover. We will draft a treatment plan that treats you with respect and dignity and helps with your unique needs.