It’s important to know that MET is an intervention that uses individual sessions. You can expect to complete various substance use assessments that will provide insight for you and the healthcare provider. This information can be used to explore the impact of your behavior and to start a conversation about what change could look like and how to achieve goals. The effectiveness of https://stylevanity.com/2023/07/top-5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-sober-house.html can depend on the nature of the individual’s addiction. Research suggests that MET is effective at helping people with alcohol problems reduce their drinking and become more engaged in treatment. The next two to five sessions utilize motivational interviewing strategies to help the client gain greater awareness, build motivation, and develop a plan to change.

Rather than guide the client through the process of change and perform skills education, the ME therapist assumes that the person in therapy already has the resources needed for change. The therapist works instead to help an individual mobilize these resources in order to achieve the desired outcome. The plan would detail the changes that are necessary, why the changes are needed and the steps the client will take to achieve those changes. Formulation of the plan typically carries into the second therapy session, which builds on the initial progress made.

Eating Disorders

First described by Miller (1983), it was originally designed for working with people with substance use disorders, but has since been more widely applied in health care, corrections, mental health and social work. It is particularly indicated for clients who are reluctant, ambivalent or defensive about change. Strongly rooted in the work of Carl Rogers, MI is nevertheless strategically goal-directed to facilitate an identified change. The overall spirit or style of MI is collaborative and empathic, and the course of MI is normally 1-4 sessions. Rather than working from a deficit model in which the therapist provides what the client is missing (e.g., skills, insight, knowledge), MI seeks to evoke the client’s own motivations, strengths and resources.

It’s no secret that everyone faces unique challenges at home, work, school and within their various communities. For some, recovery from drug and alcohol addiction abuse won’t come until relationships or personal health is severely damaged. Establish Discrepancy – This principle acknowledges the gap between a person’s desire for change and their current lifestyle or behavior. Here, too, therapists will stress that MET is not necessarily a route to immediate gratification but that the benefits of this approach come after time, commitment and work. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals overcome uncertainty or ambivalence related to a change in their self-destructive behavior.

Develop discrepancy

This discussion will, in a nonjudgmental way, assess how the client’s life might change, both for the positive and the negative. Tipping the balance toward change will help the client move from contemplation to determination. Mental health professionals using MET are encouraged to simply “roll with” these statements, instead of contradicting them, and allow the therapy to move forward at its own pace. According to the NIAA, therapy like this is typically complete within 90 days, and family members might be asked to play a role. They may come to the early sessions, providing feedback of their own regarding the person’s habits and behaviors, and they might be encouraged to keep discussing the issue at home with the addicted person. While MET could be used in a variety of ways, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests that therapy traditionally follows a set schedule with predictable milestones set all along the way.

Some believe that if the ME counselor does not directly address resistance, this avoidance may be seen as approval of the resistant behavior. Approval can then encourage resistance, but this is not the entire picture. MET therapists are skilled at inspiring their patients through motivational conversations and proactive goal-setting. If you are covered by a private or commercial insurance policy, your plan may cover your substance use and mental health treatment costs. Outpatient programs allow individuals to receive treatment while living at home and continue attending their regular activities such as work or school but still receive therapeutic interventions on a weekly basis.