What Is Motivational Interviewing? 

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Motivational interviewing (MI) is a person-centered approach designed to help individuals explore and resolve ambivalent feelings toward making positive changes. Participants are encouraged to identify their own motivations for change rather than being told what to do. This technique can be especially beneficial for individuals who are hesitant about changing their current situation.

Making behavioral changes can be difficult. Consider the scenario where you’re thinking about quitting smoking. You know that it’s bad for your health, but you also find it relaxing and are struggling with the idea of stopping for good. MI involves working with a therapist to acknowledge your conflicting feelings without judgment and understanding the difference between your current behavior and your long-term goals.

Rather than challenging your hesitations, your counselor will explore your ambivalence, build confidence in your ability to change, and discuss small, manageable steps you can take toward your goal. The aim of MI is to resolve this ambivalence and push you toward change while promoting self-awareness and growth. When you feel empowered to take action, it’s easier to take responsibility for your recovery.

What Is Motivational Interviewing? 

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Motivational interviewing (MI) is a person-centered approach designed to help individuals explore and resolve ambivalent feelings toward making positive changes. Participants are encouraged to identify their own motivations for change rather than being told what to do. This technique can be especially beneficial for individuals who are hesitant about changing their current situation.

Making behavioral changes can be difficult. Consider the scenario where you’re thinking about quitting smoking. You know that it’s bad for your health, but you also find it relaxing and are struggling with the idea of stopping for good. MI involves working with a therapist to acknowledge your conflicting feelings without judgment and understanding the difference between your current behavior and your long-term goals.

Rather than challenging your hesitations, your counselor will explore your ambivalence, build confidence in your ability to change, and discuss small, manageable steps you can take toward your goal. The aim of MI is to resolve this ambivalence and push you toward change while promoting self-awareness and growth. When you feel empowered to take action, it’s easier to take responsibility for your recovery.

East Point Behavioral Health: Motivational Interviewing in Massachusetts

East Point Behavioral Health specializes in applying proven motivational interviewing techniques. We have worked with many clients over the years to help them recognize the gap between their current behavior and their personal goals, which can initiate change. In order to be successful, our therapists create a comfortable, welcoming space where clients are able to work through their ambivalence without judgment.

When you start treatment at East Point Behavioral Health, you can expect a seamless transition from one therapy to the next. Motivational interviewing works well alongside other therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Your first session is built around understanding your priorities and the goals you hope to achieve. We then move forward by improving your mindset and making small behavior changes.

Our mental health treatment center offers a range of services to individuals 18 and over. If you believe that MI can help you achieve your goals, get in touch with East Point Behavioral Health today. Not only can we connect you to our MI therapists, but also we can complement this therapy with other methods, if necessary. To participate in motivational interviewing, you will need a primary diagnosis and be moving up or down in levels of care.

Do You Qualify for Mental Health Treatment in Massachusetts?

East Point Behavioral Health provides specialized mental health care in Massachusetts for adults aged 18 and older. While we do not specialize in substance use disorders (SUD), we address co-occurring conditions and can connect you with trusted SUD treatment referrals if needed. Our mission is to remove barriers to mental health care by offering immediate intervention and prompt access to treatment. Contact us today to start your journey toward mental wellness!

Psychotherapy session, woman talking to her psychologist in the studio
Woman speaking to her therapist

The Principles of Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is built on four key principles that guide the process of helping individuals explore and resolve ambivalence toward change. By following these principles, our therapists can provide effective and client-centered treatment. These principles include:

  • Express empathy
  • Develop discrepancy
  • Roll with resistance
  • Support self-efficacy

Express Empathy

Expressing empathy is about understanding your feelings and perspectives without judgment. Your therapist will use strategies like active listening and reflective statements to create a non-judgmental environment. In order for MI to be successful, it’s important that you feel safe and understood. This allows you to open up about your challenges and your motivation to change.

Develop Discrepancy

This principle involves helping you recognize the gap between your current behavior and your personal goals or values. The goal is to create internal motivation by encouraging you to reflect on how your current actions are aligning with your future aspirations. Instead of telling you to change, your therapist will help you see that there is conflict between what you want and what you’re doing.

Roll With Resistance

In MI, resistance is seen as a natural part of the change process. Instead of confronting or arguing with resistance, your therapist will help you acknowledge your feelings and work through opposition in your own time. Change is far more powerful when it happens for the right reasons.

Support Self-Efficacy

This principle focuses on building your confidence in your ability to change. You will work with your therapist to reflect on past successes or strengths to highlight your wins and reinforce that change is possible. Celebrating small achievements is also an effective way to drive lasting motivation. 

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Motivational Interviewing Techniques

To see the most results from MI, therapists use a variety of techniques to help elicit change talk and get you to explore how you feel. This way, you can understand what is holding you back and acknowledge your true motivations for change. Here at East Point Behavioral Health, we employ the following tactics:

Open-Ended Questions

One of the most important motivational interviewing skills is open-ended questions, which are used on a regular basis during these sessions. These questions encourage you to dig deeper into your responses rather than simply answering “yes” or “no.” Your therapist will frame your questions appropriately so that you reveal more information about yourself, allowing them to gain insight into your behaviors.

Therapists know that reflective listening is one of the most crucial skills in a therapeutic setting. It’s important for clients to feel seen and heard, and this is the same with MI. When your therapist actively listens and absorbs what you are saying, it helps build trust. This also gives your therapist the opportunity to express empathy and build a stronger therapeutic relationship.

Another reason why reflective listening is important is because it helps therapists truly understand their clients’ point of views rather than operating on assumptions. Your therapist might think they understand what you are sharing but not get it right. Reflective listening allows you to clear up any misunderstandings so that you can be supported in the best way possible. 

Affirmations are positive, supportive statements that recognize and reinforce your strengths, efforts, and abilities. Unlike general praise, affirmations are specific and meaningful. Your therapist may share positive affirmations with you such as, “You were able to go two weeks without smoking—that’s a big achievement!” These affirmations build trust, encourage positive change, and increase self-confidence.

Summaries are also used by MI therapists to demonstrate that they’ve been listening and interpreting what you discussed. These summaries are used throughout your sessions, ensuring that the conversation flows and more details can be pulled from you. There are various techniques that can be used for summarizing.

“Collecting” is where your therapist gathers information and verifies that they understand it correctly. This gives you a chance to clarify important details, if necessary. “Transitioning” is another technique that can be used when moving onto a new topic or ending a session. This technique continues the conversation while also connecting other parts of your conversations to see the bigger picture.

How Motivational Interviewing Helps

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Motivational interviewing is often used to treat substance use disorders. This approach helps individuals address the negative consequences of their drug or alcohol use, including the damage it can do to themselves and their loved ones. Using motivational strategies, individuals work on recognizing the underlying causes of their behaviors and develop the confidence to change. However, MI is versatile and can be used for other conditions and behaviors such as:

  • Physical health conditions
  • Quitting smoking
  • Preventing obesity and dieting
  • Managing diabetes
  • Promoting safer sexual behavior

MI works in combination with other treatment options. For example, when participating in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), our therapists can include motivational interviews as a supplemental treatment. This can be especially helpful for individuals who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder.

The Benefits of Motivational Interviewing

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Here at East Point Behavioral Health, we only offer therapies that are proven to deliver a wide range of benefits to our clients. Motivational interviewing is one of them. You can expect various benefits when participating in this therapy, such as:

Client-Centered Care

Motivational interviewing is one of the most accessible therapies available, as its client-centered nature means that people are more open to participating and sharing their thoughts. Because they are not being forced into change, they get to work through their resistance on their timeline.

Self-Confidence

Those who are hesitant to change often have low self-esteem. They may not know how to change or if there’s a reason to change. MI adjusts this way of thinking, helping individuals gain confidence and take responsibility for the life they want to have. When this happens, they can start chipping away at smaller goals and see that they can be successful.

Self-Reliance and Responsibility

MI comes down to the person’s motivation to change. MI therapists provide guidance and support, but they cannot force the person to do anything. While this might sound insufficient at first, it’s actually the best approach for driving long-lasting change.

When you learn to make positive changes to your lifestyle, you become less dependent on other treatments, such as medication. While medication can treat your mental health symptoms, it doesn’t drive long-term success. Taking responsibility and making lifestyle changes based on your own motivations is the most sustainable approach.

Lifestyle Changes

Many of the people who participate in MI engage in various high-risk lifestyle behaviors like substance use. Trying to move on from these behaviors is challenging. MI gives individuals the tools and confidence they need to seek treatment and make positive changes in their life. As a result, their mental and physical health can improve, which will further motivate them to stay away from high-risk behaviors in the future.
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Improve Your Life With Motivational Interviewing

If you or a loved one needs help with mental health, East Point Behavioral Health in Massachusetts is here to help. Our motivational interviewing techniques allows us to treat various conditions and behaviors more effectively, whether you want to quit smoking, stop gambling, or free yourself from anxiety or depression. MI can be added to your treatment plan to help you lift restrictive thinking and start taking positive steps in the right direction. Contact East Point Behavioral Health today to see how motivational interviewing can help you or a loved one overcome mental barriers and guide you on the path to lasting change.