Motivation is what drives us to do things. It can be difficult to find motivation in life, especially if we’re feeling down or unwell. Motivational interviewing is a technique that helps people develop their own motivations and goals for change. This blog will talk about how motivational interviewing works, the different types of motivational interviews, and how it has been used with clients with diverse needs.
What Are Motivational Interviewing Techniques?
Motivational interviewing is a technique for bringing about change. Change is a difficult process for all of us. Sometimes we strive to achieve change, sometimes to sustain it. The situations in which we have the most difficulties in our life are generally the situations in which we are in change. Motivational interviewing aims to support, provide and sustain change.
Is there any supplements to increase motivation?
There are no specific supplements that have been shown to increase motivation. However, some supplements may help to improve overall mood or energy levels, which could indirectly lead to an increase in motivation. Some of the most commonly suggested supplements for increasing motivation include caffeine, nicotine, and Beta-alanine.
Motivational interviewing is a short-term, goal-oriented counseling style. It was designed to both support people in changing their behavior as well as change deeply ingrained attitudes, beliefs, the meaning of life issues, interpersonal conflicts or other negative behaviors by focusing on the thoughts and feelings that are preventing them from making positive changes. It was created specifically for use within the addiction treatment field for people who have addiction problems but also have personal background factors that contribute to their continued addictive behavior.
What Is Motivation?
Motivation is the fuel of change. The more quality, efficient and sustainable our sources of motivation are, the more likely we are to reach the target. With these interviews, we work on our motivations, which are the basis of change, and ensure that people reach their change goals. It is usually applied in areas where we need to choose between instant gratification and long-term benefit. This can be an example of changing eating habits and choosing not to eat sweet (instant gratification), with the goal of losing weight (long-term benefit).
Motivation is the condition or process of being energized to work towards a goal. It is proposed that adding intrinsic motivation (e.g., finding pleasure in the task) to extrinsic motivation (e.g., money, grades, etc.) enhances efficiency and productivity.
The two types are known as active and passive motivations, with passive being the more common – you are doing it for someone else so your motivations are very clear cut. Active inducement on the other hand takes some time to build up but often lasts much longer than passive induced motivation which soon fizzles out because you have no internal drive to persist with it.
How Does Motivational Interviewing Work?
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling style focused on helping people overcome personal barriers, often ones around substance use or negative feelings like helplessness. By meeting the client where they are and helping them come up with solutions, MI lets individuals work towards their own wellness.
The goal of motivational interviewing is to help people identify what they want by trying to create an atmosphere that fosters dialogue instead of telling people what they should do.
Motivational interview techniques prompt reflection about values, creating the opportunity for decision-making based on self-determined choices rather than feeling compelled because of external pressure.
The five fundamental principles of MI that a counselor should adhere to include:
- Express Their Empathy – The counselor will use reflective listening strategies to listen to any difficulties and avoid making judgments. Instead, they will focus on validating the client’s thoughts.
- Develop A Certain Degree of Discrepancy – Step 2 involves assisting the client in distinguishing between how he or she is now and the person he or she wishes to be in the future.
- Avoid Any Arguments – Even while applying soft pressure to the client, the therapist will avoid battling or pushing back when resistance is encountered.
- Adjust Accordingly to Resistance – If resistance appears, the counselor should focus on the client’s viewpoint and shift directions or pay closer attention.
- Support Self-efficacy – For many consumers, this has been broken down into numerous attempts to alter on their own. The counselor works to restore the self-efficacy required for a major lifestyle change.
During MI, a counselor employs four phases: engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning. It’s all about knowing when each of these is necessary and how to get the most out of your clients by utilizing them.
Last Updated on December 11, 2022 by Lucas Berg
