Motivational therapy

Motivational therapy (or MT) is a combination of humanistic treatment and enhanced cognitive-behavioral strategies, designed to treat substance abuse.

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Method

The focus of motivational therapy is encouraging a patient to develop a negative view of their abuse, along with a desire to change their behavior. A motivational therapist does not explicitly advocate change and tends to avoid directly contradicting their patient, but instead expresses empathy, develops discrepancy, rolls with resistance, and supports self-efficacy.

Often, a methadone or similar program is used in conjunction with motivational therapy.

Some suggest that the success of motivational therapy is highly dependent on the quality of the therapist involved and, like all therapies, has no guaranteed result. Others explain the frequent successes of motivational therapy by noting that the patient is the ultimate source of change, choosing to reduce their dependency on drugs.

History

First publicized by Miller and Rollnick in 1991, motivational therapy is now seen as a highly effective treatment strategy for substance abuse, especially in the case of opiate and euphoric-enhancement drugs, where users tend to resist traditional negative reinforcement strategies.

References

• American Psychological Associates 2003. Authors: Burke, Brian L.; Arkowitz Hal; and Menchola, Marisa.

The Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing: A Meta-Analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials. Retrieved April 9, 2006.

• Advances in Pyschiatric Treatment, Volume 9 (pgs. 280-288). Author Luty, Jason. What works in drug addiction?. Retrieved April 9, 2006.

• American Psychological Associates 2004. Authors: Miller, William R.; Yahne, Carolina E.; Moyers, Theresa B.; Martinez James; and Pirritano, Matthew. A Randomised Trial of Methods to Help Clinicians Learn Motivational Interviewing. Retrieved April 9, 2006.