Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a psychotherapeutic approach that attempts to move an individual away from a state of indecision or uncertainty and towards finding motivation to making positive decisions and accomplishing established goals.

Motivational interviewing was formed 30 years ago by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick as a way to push past the issue of low motivation to change.

WHEN IS MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING USED?
Motivational interviewing was created with addiction in mind, but the principles are applied to a range of mental health and physical health issues like:

Depression.
Anxiety.
Gambling problems.
Prescription drug abuse.
Illicit drug abuse.
Pornography or sexual addictions.
Motivation is essential for progression in addiction treatment, while lack of motivation can serve as major hurdle. In the early 1980s, the prevailing thought was that lack of motivation needed to be addressed in therapy through confrontation. During this process, the therapist would list reasons why change was needed, state the negatives associated with lack of change, and pressure the person to change as means to gain motivation.

Miller and Rollnick’s motivational interviewing differs in that it utilizes a nonconfrontational, collaborative effort between therapist and client to spark motivation and initiate change. Rather than acting in an antagonistic or combative way, the therapist engages with the client to explore his feelings, including ambivalence about changing, and help the client find his own motivations. The therapist becomes a person of support, allowing the client to make their own choices and arrive at their own conclusions without feeling outside pressure to do so.

Motivational interviewing shares similarities to person-centered (or humanistic) therapy. This psychological theory and form of therapy was created by Carl Rogers in the 1950s and 1960s as an alternative to psychoanalytic and behaviorist views. Person-centered thought is based on the idea that people have innate goodness and value in them. It is the work of the therapist to permit the clients to create the best version of themselves.