Motivational Interviewing for Substance Use

You already know you need help facing your substance abuse problem. But how do you find the right addiction recovery program that will guarantee you can achieve and maintain sobriety?

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a person-centered therapy method that gives you the tools you need to change negative behaviors in your future. With the help of Motivational Interviewing, many individuals have been able to overcome physical conditions like lifestyle-induced heart disease and diabetes. And it has also successfully been used for over 30 years to conquer substance abuse.

Read on to learn about how we use Motivational Interviewing at Skypoint Recovery Ohio – and how you can begin your substance abuse treatment journey today.

What is Motivational Interviewing?

Motivational Interviewing (MI) was first published as a therapy tool in 1983. Dr. William R. Miller’s ideas for this tool built off the beliefs first presented by psychologist Carl Rogers, who emphasized the importance of therapy as a positive relational space, not just one to address problems.

The goal of the MI technique is to shift the focus and power of the therapy relationship from the therapist to the client. This is done as the therapist empowers their patient to work as a positive influence on themselves, ultimately treating motivation as a self-driven mindset.

Motivation is a skill that a person can learn through interpersonal interactions over time, and then they can turn to themselves for comfort whenever they feel stuck or lost. Especially when this applies to a person struggling with addiction, MI also encourages the patient to redevelop trust in themself to make healthy decisions in the future.

MI is accomplished through a few specific reframing techniques. First, each therapy session is called an interview. This makes the conversation between the therapist and patient more collaborative than confrontational. Then part of the interviewing structure also requires the patient to develop a set of goals they’d like to accomplish with the support and work of therapy.

Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based practice (EBP) that has especially been proven effective in encouraging children to make positive health decisions. It is also beneficial for those who struggle with smoking, taking prescribed medications, cancer diagnoses, and substance use disorders.

The 4 Steps of Motivational Interviewing (MI)?

There are four key steps involved in the Motivational Interviewing process. This order of operations helps direct the therapy-patient collaboration in individual therapy sessions and keeps both parties focused on the agreed-upon future goal.

More recently, the steps of MI have been summarized in an acronym: OARS. This stands for Open questions, Affirming strengths, Reflecting, and Summarizing. But the four original steps of MI include the following:

Engaging

This step is crucial in helping the therapist and client develop a trusting relationship for their work together. As a counselor actively listens to the lived experiences of their client, they will also express empathy for their client’s hurts and reduce defensive language.

There should be no goal-setting at this point, as it is first important to dispel any fear or uncertainty the client might be feeling about the counseling process. By working intentionally to develop the patient-therapist relationship, the patient can come to see their therapist’s office as a safe space.

Focusing

Focusing is used to help shift the interview process from relation-building to goal-setting. Many times an individual can see the importance of therapy, but they don’t completely understand how they should use it in their own life to grow and improve.

Remember, every element of Motivational Interviewing is patient-driven. So during this step, the counselor will ask guiding questions to help their patient understand what is important to them and what goals they might want to set for therapy. But ultimately the work of naming the problems worth addressing and goals worth achieving must be done by the therapy patient themself. For this reason, this step may take weeks or only days, depending on the client.

Evoking

After the work involved in engaging and focusing, a therapist and client can finally begin the work on motivation. This is done through the counselor helping their patient better understand what motivates them and how they can use it to affect change in their personal lives.

A lot of this is done as the therapist reflects back the patient’s own language to them. This is done as the therapist points out even the smallest desire from their patient for something different and better. Drawing attention to these thoughts and moments will help the patient better understand how they are already motivated to change. They can also begin to feel more confident about their ability to accomplish change in the future.

Planning

Planning is intended as the final step to help a patient transition out of therapy. Most individuals will not remain with the same counselor for their entire lives. Therefore, the planning step helps a patient better understand how to apply the work they’ve done in therapy to their life outside of treatment.

A good plan can involve healthy coping skills or a reliable support network that a patient can turn to when they find themselves falling back into unhealthy habits. Again, this is intended to be patient-led, so the therapist should only offer advice and resources. As the patient learns to self-motivate, they will be more likely to achieve long-term success in their chosen goals during Motivational Interviewing.

How does Motivational Interviewing Help with Substance Use Disorder (SUD)?

But how does Motivational Interviewing directly connect to treatment for substance use disorders?

Motivational Interviewing is designed to be used as one of many tools alongside cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices. Interestingly, it has been proven to be highly effective for individuals who have already relapsed or who have lost the desire to continue the long-term addiction treatment that is often needed to maintain sobriety.

With the help of MI, a person struggling with substance abuse is required to hold themself accountable for their actions both during and after treatment. And through this accountability, they also learn to reclaim trust in themselves and their ability to overcome addictive behaviors in the future.

Motivational Interviewing removes the external guilt and pressure often involved in recovery work and gives a person struggling with substance abuse a view into the internal power they hold to choose sober living.

Skypoint Recovery Ohio: Frequently Asked Questions

You are not likely to find a substance abuse treatment center as dedicated as Skypoint Recovery anywhere else in Akron, Ohio. Our team of addiction specialists stands apart because we believe in treating the whole person through every step of addiction recovery.

Finding the right substance abuse treatment for your personal needs can feel overwhelming. To help get you started in the right direction, check out these frequently asked questions from our previous clients.

Does insurance pay for Motivational Interviewing?

All insurance plans should offer some form of mental health coverage. As long as Motivational Interviewing is implemented as a tool in your individualized mental health treatment, you should be able to receive coverage for this care option.

If you have questions about your insurance before committing to substance abuse treatment, please don’t hesitate to call us today!

What other therapy options are offered at Skypoint Recovery?

Skypoint Recovery Ohio is an addiction treatment facility that specializes in PHP, IOP, and other outpatient care. We are pleased to offer multiple forms of therapy, including, individual therapy, group therapy, art therapy, personalized treatment, and many other mental health & addiction treatment services.

Through a blending of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), we work to help you better understand the root cause of your substance abuse and practice healthy interpersonal skills you can use outside of treatment.

How do I know if Motivational Interviewing is right for me?

Motivational Interviewing is especially helpful to those for whom addiction treatment was not the first choice. Whether this isn’t your first time at a rehab center or substance abuse treatment is being enforced in your life, MI can be a great resource in these situations. Through Motivational Interviewing, you are given a safe space to learn how sobriety can benefit you and choose it as a constant goal to personally work toward in your future.

The Skypoint Recovery Difference

As one of the largest cities in the state of Ohio, Akron is known for its diverse art scene and beautiful historic buildings. But when you choose the road to a sober life at Skypoint Recovery, you will get to enjoy the quiet and peaceful side of Akron culture.

At Skypoint Recovery, we will help you get away from the noise and chaos of your daily life so you can focus on your individual mental and physical needs. Our main goal of Skypoint Recovery substance abuse treatment is to help you take control of your life again!

Contact Skypoint Recovery today to learn how we can best help support you on your journey toward rehabilitation.