Motivational Interviewing
Therapy in South Florida

Common techniques used in motivational interviewing include:

• Asking open-ended questions: These are used to draw out and explore a client’s thoughts, feelings, and reasons for change. Questions are asked that will cause a person to reflect on what makes change meaningful and achievable based on what they already know. the counselor listens and explores the person’s response.
• Affirming: This technique involves acknowledging the strengths and efforts of someone in recovery. affirmations can be seen as a way to shore up self-efficacy, or conviction that one can act successfully.
• Reflective listening: Careful and reflective listening is used to ensure understanding and empathy with the person being counseled. It’s also used to reflect back both sides of an issue, helping those in treatment recognize discrepancies in their thought processes.
• Summarizing: These are used to bring together important parts of the conversation and highlight points that have been made about change. It is a way to focus on progress and build motivation for change.
• Attending the language of change: Counselors are trained to notice how people speak of change, whether it is something they want to do or have done. They help clients focus on the positive aspects of change and find ways to achieve success.
• Exchanging information: Throughout the motivational interviewing process, counselors provide feedback and information related to the individual’s experiences with substance abuse. This includes discussing potential risks and consequences of continued drug or alcohol use.

These techniques allow the therapist to understand the client’s perspective and guide them toward finding their own motivations for recovery.

Motivational Interviewing for addiction or otherwise is made up of four fundamental processes. These processes describe the structure of conversations between the counselor and the person in treatment.  They are:

• Engaging: This process involves building trust between the counselor and client by establishing a collaborative relationship. The counselor works to understand the person’s perspective, show empathy, and create an open and non-judgmental environment.
• Focusing: Once engagement is established, the counselor helps the client identify their goals for therapy. Together, they focus on what change looks like for the individual and what motivates them to make changes.
• Evoking: In this process, the counselor helps the person in treatment explore their ambivalence about change and encourages them to consider the positive aspects of making a change. This can lead to a shift in perspective and an increase in motivation.
• Planning: Finally, motivational interviewing ends with planning for action. The counselor and client work together to identify specific steps and strategies for achieving the desired change.

These fundamental processes help relay that motivational interviewing, at its core, is a method of communication rather than an intervention.  It is a collaborative and client-centered approach that empowers individuals to find their own motivation for change.