Motivational Therapy

Also known as motivational interviewing It’s technique that can be used to inspire

patients who have virtually any level of enthusiasm for change, from almost none

to nearly enough, to move toward improvements that can make their life

better. A collaboration in which the psychiatrist

seeks to evoke the patient’s own recognition of the desirability of change.

It’s a non-combative, non-threatening, non-judgmental technique where the therapist

doesn’t argue with the client. It’s a friendly and relaxing atmosphere.

History The origins of motivational therapy came about in 1980,

when William R. Miller prepared nine counselors in techniques of behavioral self-control training and client-

centered skill of accurate empathy.

It was originally created to combat problem drinking and alcoholism.

In 1983, Miller lectured and discussed his technique with a group of European psychologists in Bergen, Norway.

Later that year, he officially conceptualized “motivational interviewing” as his own theory.

The three theories that Miller blended together were Leon Festinger’s cognitive dissonance, Daryl Bem’s

reformulation of self-perception and Carl Rogers’ necessary and sufficient conditions for fostering change.

Finally, in 1989, Miller met Stephen Rollnick, who’d been successfully using Miller’s technique in the UK. Two years

later, they co-authored the original motivational interviewing book.

OARS Open-Ended Questions: Allows for a richer, deeper

conversation that flows and builds empathy with clients. They encourage clients to do most of the talking, while the therapist

listens and responds with reflection and summary.

Affirmation: These are statements made by the therapist in response to what the client has said. They verify and

acknowledge a client’s behavior changes and attempts to change.

Reflection: This is the primary way of responding to clients and building empathy. It involves listening closely to the client and making a reasonable guess about what they are saying.

It’s essentially forming a hypothesis where the therapist paraphrases the client’s comments back to them.

Summary: These are used to relate and link what clients have already expressed, and to move them onto another topic or

have them expand on the current discussion.

Behaviors Effected by Motivational Interviewing

Given that it was originally created for alcohol abuse, coupled with the staggering amount of abuse today, motivational therapy is mostly

used for alcoholism.

However, it can be used for a multitude of things. The main goal for motivational therapy is to elicit behavior change by helping clients

explore and resolve ambivalence.

With that said, this would include anything that the client (or people close to the client) feel

conflicted about.

This includes other substances of abuse, smoking, dieting, eating disorders, gambling or other compulsive spending habits, or anything

that the client feels is unhealthy and debilitating.

Sources http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719555/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2759607/#R53

http://www.nova.edu/gsc/forms/mi_rationale_techniques.pdf

http://www.motivationalinterview.net/clinical/whatismi.html