kathy ireland® Recovery Centers

Motivational Interviewing

At all of our kathy ireland® Recovery Centers facilities, we offer motivational interviewing (MI) as a form of psychotherapy for treating individuals who have difficulty making and maintaining behavioral changes. MI is an excellent option for treating substance use disorder (SUD) because it combines empathetic and compassionate care with self-reflection. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), “MI focuses on enhancing intrinsic motivation and is especially applicable when clients are in the early stages of change, unlike other approaches (e.g., contingency management) that use extrinsic (reward-driven) motivators.”

Your health and well-being are our top priority and we strive to provide top-quality care for every client who attends our programs. The prescreen and comprehensive assessment we provide before admissions into any of our programs will ensure that we are able to choose the best therapy options for your needs. To learn more about all the psychotherapy modalities we offer at kathy ireland® Recovery Centers, visit our Therapy page.

What Is Motivational Interviewing?

Motivational interviewing is a person-centered behavioral therapy meant to help you recognize how every choice you make affects your behaviors. The various principles of MI will guide you through identifying motivation for implementing changes that make it easier to meet your personal recovery goals. Introducing positive behavioral changes is the primary goal of MI and, in each session, you will do the following:

  • Be encouraged to voice your goals and desires
  • Provide personal motivations for treatment
  • Talk through actions you can take to improve your life
  • Voice your arguments for personal change

Every clinician and staff member at kathy ireland® Recovery Centers believes in creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment where you can increase your self-confidence and self-reliance. MI is one of the ways we can help prepare you for independent, long-term sobriety. Our trusted therapists will show you how to motivate yourself to overcome uncertainties, fears, or ambivalence related to your recovery.

Finding Motivation and Overcoming Ambivalence

You might find yourself feeling uncertain about treatment and long-term sobriety, even if that is something you very dearly want to accomplish. It is entirely normal to have opposite thoughts on one subject, especially when it involves risk-taking behaviors that affect the reward centers of the brain. Abusing substances can alter the brain’s reward centers to the extent that it does not respond to pleasure or reward in typical ways. In those cases, personal motivation is essential for real change to take place. MI is also incredibly effective over even short periods. A meta-analysis of the data published in the British Journal of General Practice reported that “when using motivational interviewing in brief encounters of 15 minutes, 64% of the studies showed an effect.”

Many people diagnosed with SUD have an ambivalence about recovery. You may feel resistance to change even when you want to get better. In MI, your therapist will not try to override that resistance and will instead focus on enhancing your motivation to make it stronger and capable of overriding any uncertainty. You are in control of the progress in MI, and your therapist supports you through change by collaboration and guiding you through the process.

Motivational Interviewing

How Motivational Interviewing Changes Thoughts and Behavior

Motivational interviewing uses empathy, compassion, and collaboration to draw you to more positive conclusions about your recovery and the choices you will make in the future. Instead of feeling pressured to accept new routines and behavioral patterns, you will be the one in control of presenting the arguments for change. Your therapist will not tell you how to “get better.” Instead, they will encourage you to speak up about how you feel about your recovery and what motivates you to keep moving forward. You may find yourself going through the following stages of MI:

  • Contemplation: You are contemplating making a positive change
  • Preparation: You are preparing to make a positive change
  • Action: You implement the positive change
  • Maintenance: You take action to maintain the positive change

Setting Personal Goals for Recovery

Clear personal goals are essential during treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). However, it can be challenging to figure out what changes you need to make to your behaviors, routines, and thought patterns to encourage a more positive lifestyle. Often, internal issues manifest externally in the form of maladaptive behaviors like addiction or other risk-taking behaviors. The expert therapists at kathy ireland® Recovery Centers work with you to help you engage with treatment and build a solid foundation for future recovery. You will be in control of the goals and what direction the sessions go. 

Motivational Interviewing
At our facilities, we practice holistic care, which means we care for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. During MI sessions, you work with a therapist to overcome barriers that may stop you from making positive changes during and after our program. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, motivational interviewing can affect many aspects of your life. They report that “MI can help Veterans develop healthier habits with regard to substance use, diet, exercise, management of chronic health problems (HIV, heart disease, diabetes), and reduction of risky behaviors (unprotected sex, gambling, and unsafe needle use).” You can use the skills you learn in MI sessions at kathy ireland® Recovery Centers to completely change your life by making healthy changes. MI has many benefits as a therapeutic model by helping you do the following:

  • Recognize the connection between thoughts, actions, and consequences
  • Increase self-confidence and self-awareness
  • Accept the value of rehabilitation treatments
  • Learn to recognize possible positive outcomes of changes to thoughts and behaviors

Motivational interviewing gives you a clearer perspective on personal change and how your choices affect each stage of your recovery.

At kathy ireland® Recovery Centers, we offer many forms of behavioral and cognitive therapy. Learn more about our services and programs by reaching out to us today: (866) 861-9772.

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