Motivation stimulation therapy: characteristics and uses

Many therapies consist, in most cases, of telling the patient what to do and what not to do, hoping that it is he or she Whoever decides to follow these tips or, on the contrary, continue carrying out behaviors that lead to discomfort and a lifestyle dysfunctional.

This is not the case motivation boosting therapy, with which it is intended to motivate a change from within the patient, that is, to make him the one who takes the reins of her life and encourages him to improve the situation in which he finds himself.

This therapy, which, despite being within clinical psychology, takes knowledge from the social field and organizations, has given quite promising results with various disorders. If you want to know more about this therapy, we invite you to continue reading this article.

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Motivation stimulation therapy, what is it?

Motivational enhancement therapy is a type of directive, person-centered treatment that focuses on to increase the patient's motivation towards change.

Usually, people who carry out self-destructive behaviors, such as addictions, self-harm or risky behaviors, usually manifest an ambivalent motivation towards change, or directly none. Despite this, these people they are aware, in most cases, that the behaviors they are carrying out harm them both themselves and their closest environment, in addition to damaging their health.

Therapists specialized in this type of therapy can help the patient to achieve a more objective vision of his own behavior, which can contribute to the fact that, once the problem behaviors have been analyzed, they are more prone to change due to their own foot.

Historical background of this therapy

Motivation enhancement therapy was one of three interventions first applied in 1993 within the MATCH project. This American project consisted of a clinical trial focused on gaining a better understanding and improve existing treatments in the approach to alcoholism.

This therapy is based on the knowledge obtained by less clinical branches of psychology, such as organizations and coaching. Thus, the motivation stimulation therapy takes aspects of human resources, such as the motivational interview, developed by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick, and adapts it to the therapeutic field.

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Objectives and principles of this treatment

The main goal of therapy is Motivate the patient to participate in their changeThus beginning the therapeutic process. Motivating him so that he can achieve his life goals and put aside or, preferably, extinguish his problem behaviors, not He will only achieve a greater degree of well-being, but he will also move away from what was hurting him and his environment the most. nearby.

In turn, as the patient sees that he is progressively capable of doing more things and that it was only a matter of making the decision to initiate the change, he will feel more and more confident in himself and in his ability to face adversity. This is not achieved by making the therapist tell the patient what and what he should not do, but by giving him feedback that encourages him to go for what he proposes.

Motivation enhancement therapy is based on five motivational principles, which should applied and taken into account during the performance of the treatment to guarantee the best results:

1. express empathy

It is very important that a good professional relationship between the patient and the therapist is generated from the first therapy session. Both parties need to trust each other, within what is considered therapeutically appropriate.

The patient must feel in a safe environment, in which he feels respected, heard and accepted.

2. develop discrepancy

The patient discusses with the therapist his personal goals. The professional is in charge of measuring the distance between the objective that the patient wishes to achieve and the state or situation in which he currently finds himself.

3. avoid arguments

During therapy, you should not have discussions with the patient. At this point, we refer to discussions in the moderate sense of the word, that is, discussing negative experiences that have caused the patient to be in consultation.

Thus, during this brief therapy, rather than confront the patient with the badness of his behavior, the therapist is responsible for providing positive responses and that help the patient grow as a person.

4. adapt to resistance

In one way or another, throughout the therapy aspects will appear that will be resistant to change. therapy of this type accept that there are things that cannot be overcome in such a short time; that is why both patient and therapist must accept the existence of some resistance.

This point may seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that it is not at all advisable to face the resistance of the patient at first, since if he does, he will show a whole repertoire of defensive behaviors, making the therapy pond.

5. Support self-efficacy

By self-efficacy we mean the capacity of each person to be able to face adversity and know how to achieve their own objectives in the most appropriate way.

In this therapy, the patient is encouraged to realize that he or she is capable of almost anything they set their minds to, including overcoming her or her addiction.

Duration and course of therapy

This therapy is usually very brief, usually lasting about four sessions. The first session is usually the interview with the patient and the next three correspond to the therapy itself.

Throughout the first session, the therapist talks with the patient about the problem that has consulted, be it a substance addiction problem or any other disorder psychological. Once the problem is understood, the goals that the patient wishes to achieve are addressed. So, therapist and patient cooperate in planning the rest of the treatment, however, always with the managerial role of the professional since he is the mental health professional. The rest of the sessions focus on achieving the objectives set.

During the establishment of the goals to be achieved, it is very important that the therapist does not make any kind of confrontation with the patient and do not judge him for the state he is in or what he has done in the process. past. The objective, as has already been said, is to improve his life, and for this it is sought that he is the one who is motivated to make the change. It should also be said that during therapy it is preferred to avoid the use of diagnostic labels and focus on conceptualizing the problem in more understandable terms for the patient.

During therapy, the therapist does not give specific guidelines to the patient about what he should do to improve. The perspective behind motivational enhancement therapy is that each patient has the necessary resources to progress, what happens is that either you are not motivated enough for the change or you are simply not aware of your capabilities.

Due to its short duration and the way it is applied, this therapy is usually accompanied by the application of others. It usually serves to motivate the person before they delve into more specialized therapies. depending on what types of disorders, such as those related to mood or anxiety. As we have already been commenting, motivation is a crucial aspect to ensure that the therapeutic process meets the objectives that one has set.

What disorders is it used for?

The main population group to which this therapy is applied are people who are suffering from some type of drug addiction, whether it's alcohol or illegal substances such as cocaine, marijuana and others. The therapist works so that the patient develops the will to face her drug addiction.

With respect to other therapies in the field of substance withdrawal, which are usually prepared according to to a step-by-step program, motivational enhancement therapy focuses on arousing the self-interest of the patient. That is, this therapy aims to make the change come from within the patient.

It should be said that one of the factors that influence its success is the will of the patient himself when going to the consultation. Normally, those who visit the therapist on a completely voluntary basis are already motivated by yes, hoping that the professional knows what to do to be able to get out of the tunnel in which the drugs have taken them tucked in The therapist takes advantage of this to motivate them even more, making them see how they can control their own therapeutic process and be aware of what to do to overcome the addiction.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States, this type of therapy has been shown to be the best in terms of cost-effectiveness for the treatment of problems with alcohol.

But It has not only been applied to those people who suffer from some type of addiction. It has been shown to be especially useful in people who suffer from disorders such as eating disorders, anxiety problems, or even gambling. Also, according to research, it has given results with people with the HIV virus, promoting positive changes in his life despite having a chronic illness and that, to this day, he is still very stigmatized.

Bibliographic references:

• Huang, Y., Tang, T., Lin, C., & Yen, C. (2011). Effects of motivational enhancement therapy on readiness to change MDMA and methamphetamine use behaviors in Taiwanese adolescents. Substance Use & Misuse, 46, 411–416.
• Korte, K. J., & Schmidt, N. b. (2013). Motivational enhancement therapy reduces anxiety sensitivity. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37, 1140-1150.
• Naar-King, S., Wright, K., Parsons, J. T., Frey, M., Templin, T., Lam, P. & Murphy, D. (2006). Healthy choices: Motivational enhancement therapy for health risk behaviors in HIV-positive youth. AIDS Education and Prevention, 18(1), 1–11.
• Petry, N. M., Weinstock, J., Morasco, B. J., & Ledgerwood, D. m. (2009). Brief motivational interventions for college student problem gamblers. Addiction, 104, 1569-1578.