Motivational Interviewing

Often times we don't make change in our life because we feel ambiguous about it or are worried about all the potential outcomes. By focusing on levels of motivation and clarifying goals, we can plan our next steps with confidence and assurance that it's what we really want.

I’ve been working with people from all walks of life dealing with substance use and addiction challenges for the last 10 years. I have extensive training and experience in Motivational Interviewing, the current leading evidence-based practice to help people explore their relationship to drugs and alcohol. I have also provided trainings on substances and Motivational Interviewing to groups and treatment providers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Sometimes we want to make changes, but, there's something holding us back. It's easy to sit on the fence and talk ourselves out of meaningful action. Motivational Interviewing can help us clarify our goals and get unstuck.

Motivational interviewing (MI) helps to build a collaborative conversation that strengthens a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. The overall therapeutic style of MI is guiding you to change goals you are wanting to achieve within your life. It is a normal human experience to be ambivalent about change and shows you are one step closer to your goal. Using Motivational Interviewing therapeutically will help you explore your own reasons for changing in a safe environment.

I specialize in medication management and uses motivation interviewing techniques during assessment. Our goal is targeting your current symptoms and make you feel better again.

Change is hard! And why shouldn't it be? As much as we may want to change things, it's also scary and frustrating. Let's talk about it.

MI is a supportive approach when clients are in the pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation stages of change. Through rapport with the therapist, clients can look at areas where change is possible. It is a very empowering approach, as clients recognize that it is up to them to make changes. By recognizing that they are actively choosing their choices in life, clients recognize that they are ultimately responsible for the rewards and consequences that they experience in life.

Motivational interviewing is very useful in therapy

I've had several trainings for MI and started my career in treatment facilities for substance abuse. While it's thought to be more challenging with people that have addiction issues, everyone struggles with motivation at times. I use the same curious and non-judgmental approach with all of my clients.

I express empathy through reflective listening to what consequences the client has created alone but whose disorder may convince him he has only partially created, and I will describe the discrepancy between clients' goals and the recent behavior, and being I have have many thousands of hours of this behind me, we avoid argument and dissolve the clients resistance to motivate them to begin the work towards dismantling their disorder piece by piece.

I came to this way of working later in my career I had been doing much of this but now it had a name. The elements are 1. autonomy of the individual 2. collaboration with the individual 3. Evocation of motivation meaning to talk to the part of the person looking for sustainable change. When I work in this orientation, I point out discrepancies of their actions to their goals. I have empathic responses. I roll with the resistances. I also empower the individual in their change.

Motivational Interviewing can help with indecision and resistance. Change can be hard even when we want to change.

There are many benefits of using motivational interviewing in therapy and this approach has been proven successful for many of my clients. Some benefits are allowing patients to talk through their problems, envisioning change, & building confidence.

For change to happen, you need to explore the barriers getting in the way of making that change.

Assisting clients with developing their stages of change to implement shifts in areas of live they wish to improve.