Motivational Enhancement Therapy: A Case Study

Therapeutic intervention approach

Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET):

William R. Miller: In the field of substance abuse problem, a man named Miller who was a professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and affiliated with the centre on alcoholism, substance abuse and addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico found a way to see the addicts mind set. He believed that due to confrontation the denial nature of addicts persist and due to which there seems to be no solution to their addiction habit. Further, with Stephen Rollnick he founded the motivation interviewing or Motivational Enhancement Therapy.

Miller has changed the way addiction has been tried to seen by clinicians. Earlier, clinicians believed that they need to counsel an addict

Rationale of MET:

Objective: The objective of the Motivational Enhancement Therapy is to modify the harmful use of drugs.

Goal: Each client needs to set their own goal rather than getting imposed by an absolute goal through MET.

Mechanism of MET: MET is based on cognitive and social psychology principles. The therapist needs to develop an inconsistency in the client’s perceptions between their at present status and their planned goals. Here, the commitment and desire to get change should come from client within self. The assumption made here is that a basic motivation is important and many a times it is enough to instigate change. The drug problems are seen here as behaviors under at least partial voluntary control of the client which are normal principles of behavior change and whereas drugs of abuse are supposed to be an inherent motivating property to an addict. Hence, MET is there to bring out strength for competing motivations.

In Motivational Enhancement Therapy, the client acts as the agent of change who receives assistance from the

Education level of professional may not be as critical determination of effectiveness in using MET. But the specific training in MET is necessary. A skilled MET practitioner can make the therapy more natural but it requires considerable pratice. A MET practitioner is also given 2 to 3 days training to learn the rationale of MET and its very skills. Counselors who are new to this approach may face difficulty initially (M.R.William, 2000).

Ideal behavior and characteristics of MET counselor:

Behavior:

Counselor needs to ask open-ended questions.

They must avoid close-ended questions or three questions in a row.

They should be skilled enough to do reflective listening, reframing and supporting.

They needs to keep difference by eliciting the client’s verbal expression of concerns, their reasons to change and should encourage their optimism regarding change.

Counselors need to be polite and positive in knowing things rather than confronting it directly.

The counselor needs to emphasis on supporting the client’s self – efficacy.

They must give positive feedback to encourage client’s motivation to change.

Counselor should not do any direct confrontation to their clients or else it will lead to denial tendency of the client.

They should also avoid any kind of