What is Motivational Interviewing?

Many treatment centers offer different therapy methods to help their clients explore their feelings and help them make better choices. Motivational interviewing is often used by addiction treatment counselors to help their clients make challenging changes in their life.

People who are angry and need to find the motivation to continue in recovery sometimes find motivational interviewing can help them channel their anger into something more positive. The interviewer will be positive and supportive as they guide their client to make commitments during the session.

When is it Used?

Motivational interviewing is often used to help people make better life choices. Often it is used in the form of intervention or during therapy. By interviewing a client about their desires and their reasons for change, a therapist can help them channel their negative feelings into positive solutions.

The best part about motivational interviewing is that it is very client-centered. A hostile or angry client may not want to hear about all of the things they’ve messed up. Many people who are new to recovery are skeptical and wary of confrontational therapy methods. Motivational therapy employs empathy and compassion as a part of its methods to help clients feel safe and supported as they decide what changes to make in their lives.

Motivational interviewing is meant to be a positive experience that helps clients decide to change certain behaviors on their own. The therapist guides them and supports their choices to live a healthier life and make better decisions.

How Motivational Interviewing Works

The first goal of motivational interviewing is to help a person increase their motivation to make positive changes. For a person who wants to get clean and sober, there are probably many improvements that they can see from following through. Talking about these things can help a person develop a vision for the future.

When the client wants to change, the therapist will make sure they commit to following through. Even if this is one small, incremental change, it can help clients feel good about their progress and continue on their journey.

Motivational interviewing is just one strategy that is used to help people with substance use disorders. Often, a treatment center uses cognitive behavioral therapy, experiential therapy, and other forms of group therapy to help a person new to recovery stay sober.

Getting Help for Addiction

At Present Moments, we help people from all walks of life get sober. We can help people with alcohol addiction, opioid use disorder, and other addictive disorders begin the journey to get sober.  Do you or somebody you love need help getting sober? We’re here to help you. Please contact us to learn about getting started and what choices are available.