Motivational Interviewing (MI) in Massachusetts
IT’S NOT “JUST THERAPY.” IT’S A STRATEGIC AND INTENTIONAL TRANSFORMATION.
Counseling and therapeutic services promote personal wellness and lifelong recovery. Through guided internal processing and practical coping skill development, clients are empowered to overcome personal challenges and create for themselves the life they truly wish to lead.
At Refresh Recovery, we’ve seen clients safely navigate mental health and substance use disorders time and time again. Professional counseling and therapy are often the catalysts you need to sustain lasting recovery and personal renewal. Start here.
REDISCOVER THE DRIVE TO CREATE THE LIFE YOU TRULY DESIRE.
Life is full of change, but more often than not, making a change isn’t as black and white as it seems. It can be difficult to consistently pursue what’s best for you, especially when you or a loved one are dealing with an alcohol or substance use disorder. You know there is a healthier way to navigate life, but you’re not entirely sure of yourself. You need support to enact change. You don’t have to do this alone. Let Refresh Recovery help.
You’re In The Right Place.
WHAT IS MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING THERAPY (MI)?
Established in 1983, MI is an encouraging, client-centered counseling style that aims to assist clients in exploring and resolving their hesitancy about making positive behavior change. MI is where elements of style, such as empathy and warmth, are combined with technique.
The technique is driven by the client’s motivation to change. This is strategically and intentionally increased through a gentle negotiation process and change talk used by the client to express the benefits and costs of making desirable changes.
The main principle behind the approach is a collaboration between the therapist and client, where they address an issue together. A trust-based therapeutic relationship is essential, and conflict is unhelpful. Motivational interviewing psychotherapy is based on four assumptions:
It’s normal to have uncertainty about substance use and change, and it’s an important motivational barrier to changing current behavior.
Exploring the client’s inherent motivations and values can resolve their ambivalence toward making healthy changes.
The therapist’s relationship with the client is a collaborative partnership where the therapist can bring crucial expertise.
Change can happen under conditions that foster an empathic and supportive counseling style.[2]
WHO MIGHT NEED MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING IN MASSACHUSETTS?
If you or your loved one have hesitation or mixed feelings about changing any behavior(s), especially undesirable habits, motivational interviewing can be effective. It helps you rediscover your intrinsic motivation. Yet, people with no desire to change their behavior or who are already motivated to change may not receive the full benefits from this evidence-based therapy.
WHAT HAPPENS IN MOTIVATIONAL THERAPY SESSIONS AT REFRESH RECOVERY & WELLNESS CENTERS IN NORWELL, MA?
Your therapist uses a supportive style to encourage you or your loved one to talk about the need to change and their reasons for pursuing healthier habits. Drawing out a conversation about change and commitment is the main role of the therapist or provider. They listen and mirror back your thoughts so you can hear the motivations and reasons expressed back to you in a new light.
Motivational interviewing works in two parts. First, the goal is to increase your motivation and then for you to make a commitment to change. Hearing yourself say a commitment aloud helps improve your ability to actually make the change. The attending clinician listens more than intervenes during the process and will never become argumentative with you.
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES
Your therapist uses four basic person-centered techniques in this counseling approach to help you explore your feelings and find the motivation for evoking change.
Open-Ended Questions
These questions can’t be answered with a yes or no, and encourage deeper thoughts about an issue. Open-ended questions include:
- How would you like things to be different?
- What have you tried before to make a change?
- What can you tell me about your relationship with …?
Affirmations
These statements recognize your strengths and acknowledge positive behaviors. Affirmations can help build confidence in your ability to change if done correctly. Examples include:
- I appreciate the amount of courage it took for you to discuss this with me.
- I’m glad you came into the treatment facility today — I know seeking help isn’t always easy.
- You handled yourself well in that situation.
- You’re certainly a resourceful person.
Reflective Listening
Also called reflection, it’s possibly the most important skill used by your therapist. It lets you know your therapist is listening and trying to understand your point of view while giving you a chance to correct any misunderstandings and elaborate on your feelings.
Summaries
A special type of reflection, summaries show your therapist has been listening to and understanding what you’ve been saying. This summarizing technique can be used during a conversation, and examples include:
- Collecting: Reinforcing what you’ve said.
- Linking: Making associations between two parts of your discussion.
- Transitioning: Wrapping up the end of the session or moving to another topic.
These techniques help our clients to move progressively through the stages of change and to learn how to stop undesirable behaviors and take healthy actions.
PRINCIPLES OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
There are four key principles behind the spirit of MI that are designed to activate the process of change and promote personal well-being.
Express Empathy
Your therapist listens carefully and affirms they understand your beliefs, experiences, and feelings, known as showing and expressing empathy. Because they don’t have to agree with you to show empathy, it creates a safe space where you can feel comfortable about being yourself and sharing your concerns without fear of judgment.
Develop Discrepancy
This principle is based on the belief you become more motivated to change after seeing the mismatch between where you are now and where you want to be. Your therapist’s job is to help you identify your core values and clarify personal goals to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Because actions and goals develop in a collaborative, trusting environment that’s pressure-free, it provides a space based on your goals, needs, strengths, values, and wishes.
“Roll With” Resistance + Avoid Argumentative Dialogue
Helping you achieve a new understanding of yourself and your behaviors is your therapist’s job. There will be no challenging, criticizing, or opposing of your thoughts. Reframing or providing different interpretations of specific situations is one way your therapist helps you gain a new understanding. The changing viewpoint motivates you to change because it’s based on your goals and values.
Support Self-efficacy
Self-efficacy is your belief or confidence in your ability to perform a target behavior. It’s supported by your therapist when they reinforce your power to make the changes you want. You’re guided through the behavior change process, recognized for positive changes made, and offered encouragement through the process. It’s not uncommon for your therapist to have more confidence in you when motivational interviewing begins, but over time, you’ll begin to see your strengths and ability to change behavior in a more desired way.
What’s The Difference?
Motivational Interviewing (MI) vs. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
Similar yet different, motivational interviewing and motivational enhancement therapy can both be effective parts of a treatment plan. MET is designed to quickly create internal motivational change and uses a mixture of assessments, goal setting, and motivational interviewing to move you from recovery ambivalence to a change mindset. Other differences lie in:
- Purpose: MI helps you uncover and solve doubts or hesitancy about seeking help for a substance use disorder. MET depends wholly on your internal motivation and combines MI techniques with an individual assessment.
- Number of sessions: MET usually has an initial battery session where your therapist gets to know you, followed by four treatment sessions. MI usually has one to four treatment sessions.
- In-session guidance: MI therapists can’t give you suggestions without your permission. MET therapists use a more direct way of offering suggestions about what’s better for you based on clinically available data.
- Who benefits more: MI generally has better outcomes for clients who are defensive and reluctant but want to change. MET is often more effective for clients who are less interested in pursuing change.
What’s The Difference?
Motivational Interviewing: Evidence-Based Treatment Options For Substance Use and Mental
Health Disorders
Every treatment program and individual plan at Refresh Recovery is developed and designed with evidence-based information and proven interventions. Our trained clinicians, therapists, and healthcare providers are present for every program.
From our Monday through Friday Partial Hospitalization Program to each level of the Intensive Outpatient Programs. You or your loved one will begin treatment with a plan custom to your needs and treatment goals. As you make progress and become more autonomous, adjustments can be made.
EVIDENCE FOR THE SUCCESS OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
MI was originally developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick to treat alcohol use disorder but has been found to offer many beneficial outcomes for other substance use disorders.[4]
WHY CHOOSE REFRESH RECOVERY
INDIVIDUALIZED CARE PLANS
Each client receives a care plan designed to meet their individual treatment needs and goals with the support of qualified and trained clinicians, therapists, and staff.
FOUNDATIONAL SUPPORT FOR LIFELONG RECOVERY
TREATMENT FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF DISORDERS
MORE THAN A TREATMENT CENTER: WE’RE YOUR RECOVERY PARTNER
Many of our supportive staff have been right where you are and know the strength it takes to maintain a lasting recovery, and they’re here to help in every step.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
What type of treatments use motivational interviewing?
How is motivational interviewing different from other types of therapy?
What’s the difference between Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Motivational interviewing activates a client’s own motivations for making desirable changes.
Experience Comprehensive Healing with Our Evidence-Based Therapies at Refresh Recovery
At Refresh Recovery, we offer evidence-based therapies that can help you heal from substance use and mental health issues.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)
DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a talk therapy similar to CBT. However, DBT goes a layer deeper and focuses more on client safety and self-acceptance. This process helps establish greater emotional control and equips you to regulate the internal harmful or unhealthy patterns that lead to undesirable behaviors.
MEDICATION-ASSISTED THERAPY (MAT)
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING (MI)
TRAUMA-INFORMED TREATMENT
GROUP THERAPY
Working closely with a group of like-minded and goal-oriented individuals is a critical recovery component. It allows each client to share safely, learn from their peers, and practice their coping skills. Each session is guided by a qualified and experienced moderator.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
At Refresh Recovery, we’re committed to seeing each client as a unique individual. This requires a customized approach to therapeutic interventions for each client.
Through psychotherapy or talk therapy, our goal is to help individuals better understand themselves and how they process experiences and to increase their ability to cope with their internal processes.