A few months ago, we made a series of blog posts about different forms of therapy. This is part of a continuation of that series. This week, we’re looking at a form of therapy called Motivational Interviewing.
What is Motivational Interviewing (MI)?
Motivational interviewing is a type of therapy that involves drawing the client’s desire to change certain behaviors. This is usually a very short-form therapy, often just a handful of sessions. However, it can also be integrated into other forms of more well-known therapy, like CBT. Often, many clinicians will use a combination of methods with their clients, allowing for a very individualized treatment approach.
MI involves some core skills that require empathetic listening on the clinician’s part and reflecting back the client’s reasons for changing or not changing. Allowing a client to speak out these reasons and to hear them back allows them to engage in deeper reflection on the idea of change.
What Does it Look Like?
Often, MI looks like a clinician asking thought provoking questions to the client which requires them to deeply think about their motivation to change. Open ended questions are used in this form of therapy along with reflective statements. This is when the therapist selectively reflects back what the client has said to encourage motivation in the client. It also involves reminding the client of their skills and past accomplishments.
What is MI Used to Treat?
This form of therapy was originally intended for alcohol use disorder and has been shown to be effective in treating not only that but other substance use disorders. It has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of gambling disorders, anger and hostility, and health care management. Often, Motivational Interviewing will be used for diabetes management, weight loss, or medication adherence.
How do I find a Motivational Interview Therapist?
At Compassionate Counseling Company, we actually have several clinicians who use MI in their practice (like Theresa, Heather, Callie, Emily, Jessica, Emma, Leslie, and Samantha). If you’re looking for someone who only does motivational interviewing, you may have to look specifically for those who list it as their main modality on Psychology Today or similar databases.
