What Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?
Learn about motivational enhancement therapy and its techniques and principles at Ripple Ranch Recovery here.
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Learn More About Ripple Ranch Recovery Center
Our team is standing by to discuss your situation and options. Your call is fully confidential, and no obligation is required.
What Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?
For those who have a substance abuse disorder, despite being aware of the detrimental effects these behaviors have on their health or social functioning, lack the motivation or knowledge to stop these habits. Thus, the purpose of motivational interviewing is to assist individuals in viewing life patterns more objectively so that they feel empowered enough to start the change process.

Learn More About Ripple Ranch Recovery Center
Our team is standing by to discuss your situation and options. Your call is fully confidential, and no obligation is required.
Call Us 24/7
Learn More About Ripple Ranch Recovery Center
Our team is standing by to discuss your situation and options. Your call is fully confidential, and no obligation is required.
How Motivational Enhancement Therapy Works
What Can Motivational Enhancement Therapy Help With?
- Addiction
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Bipolar disorders
Techniques of Motivational Enhancement Therapy
Developing and Expressing Empathy
Acknowledging the Disparity Between Thoughts and Reality
Avoiding Arguments
Accepting Resistance as Part of The Process
Supporting the Self-Efficacy of Individuals Recovering from Addiction
Through motivational therapy, particularly motivational interviewing for addiction, counselors can significantly boost a patient’s self-efficacy. This is done by highlighting their existing capabilities and qualities and reinforcing their ability to make the desired changes.3
What Happens in a Motivational Enhancement Therapy Session?
Assessment
During motivational enhancement therapy for substance abuse, a mental health professional must first conduct a clinical assessment of the client. This assessment is done to ascertain the nature of the patient’s issue and determine the best treatment option.4
Addressing Concerns
Create an Action Plan
Supporting Personal Choice and Control
Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Stages of Change
- Pre-Contemplation: Being unaware of problematic behavior and having no intention to change.
- Contemplation: Acknowledging the problem but taking no action to address it.
- Determination: Deciding to change and getting ready to implement the change.
- Action: Changing one’s behavior, experiences, or environment to solve the problem.
- Maintenance: Working to avoid relapse and to maintain the gains made during the action stage.
- Relapse: Returning to previous behavior and beginning the cycle again.
How Effective Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?
Motivational enhancement interviewing is an alternative to 12-step programs developed by two clinical psychologists, Stephen Rollnick and William R. Miller. It has proven to be an effective method for developing a plan for change for a range of behavioral issues. Additionally, according to one study, motivational interviewing for adolescents, in addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy, is beneficial for dealing with teen dependency on cannabis.
In 2003, a meta-analysis was conducted on controlled clinical trials to compare cognitive behavioral therapy to motivational interviewing. This study helped determine the effects of motivational interviewing on adolescent behavioral health and the overall efficacy of MET. Conclusions from the analysis found motivational counseling strategies to be similar to or better than other treatments, such as CBT or medication.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy Statistics
Motivational therapy was found to be superior to non-treatment controls for reducing alcohol and drug use as well, as results from motivational interviewing in addiction showed a 51% improvement rate, along with a 56% reduction in patients’ drinking.7

Benefits of Motivational Enhancement Therapy
- It works quickly: Motivational therapy sessions are brief, with a maximum of 5-6 sessions.
- It reduces resistance and ambivalence: Motivational interviewing presents change to the patient with tact and empathy. This is done by avoiding counterproductive approaches that will elicit resistance.
- It emphasizes choice: The motivational counseling approach is collaborative, putting the patient in charge of making changes, with the therapist serving as a guide rather than an authoritative figure.
Find Motivational Enhancement Therapy at Ripple Ranch Recovery
We know how challenging even the most meaningful changes in life can be. At Ripple Ranch Recovery, we use motivational therapy to help patients address and adjust attitudes that might prevent them from making healthier lifestyle decisions.
You can expect a personalized treatment plan at Ripple Ranch Recovery that is tailored to your needs and involves you as a proactive agent in your change. Our team is ready to show you the benefits of motivational interviewing, provide you with more information about motivational group therapy, and work with you to create the most effective care plan possible. Reach out to us today.
Resources
- 1https://www.verywellmind.com/motivational-enhancement-therapy-definition-techniques-and-efficacy-5212830
- 2https://climb.pcc.edu/blog/what-is-motivational-interviewing-mi-and-how-does-it-work
- 3https://www.umass.edu/studentlife/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/Motivational_Interviewing_Definition_Principles_Approach.pdf
- 4 https://opentext.wsu.edu/abnormal-psych/chapter/module-3-clinical-assessment-diagnosis-and-treatment/
- 5 https://positivepsychology.com/motivational-enhancement-therapy/
- 6 https://web.uri.edu/cprc/transtheoretical-model/stages-of-change/
- 7 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14516234/#affiliation-1