Enhancing Motivation For Change In Substance Abuse Treatment

Motivation is key to substance use behavior change. Counselors can support clients' movement toward positive changes in their substance use by identifying and enhancing motivation that already exists. Motivational approaches are based on the principles of person-centered counseling. Counselors' use of empathy, not authority and power, is key to enhancing clients' motivation to change. Clients are experts in their own recovery from SUDs. Counselors should engage them in collaborative partnerships. Ambivalence about change is normal. Resistance to change is an expression of ambivalence about change, not a client trait or characteristic. Confrontational approaches increase client resistance and discord in the counseling relationship. Motivational approaches explore ambivalence in a nonjudgmental and compassionate way.

This report is based on a rethinking of the concept of motivation, which is redefined here as purposeful, intentional, & positive -- directed toward the person's best interests. This report shows how substance abuse treat. staff can influence change by developing a therapeutic relationship that respects & builds on the client's autonomy & makes the treat. clinician a partner in the change process. Describes motivational interventions that can be used at all stages of the change process, from pre-contemplation & preparation to action & maintenance, & informs readers of the research, results, tools, & assessment instruments related to enhancing motivation.

This TIP is based on a fundamental rethinking of the concept of motivation. Motivation is not seen as static but as dynamic. It is redefined here as purposeful, intentional, and positive-directed toward the best interests of the self. Specifically, motivation is considered to be related to the probability that a person will enter into, continue, and adhere to a specific change strategy. This TIP shows how substance abuse treatment staff can influence change by developing a therapeutic relationship that respects and builds on the client's autonomy and, at the same time, makes the treatment clinician a partner in the change process. The TIP also describes different motivational interventions that can be used at all stages of the change process, from precontemplation and preparation to action and maintenance, and informs readers of the research, results, tools, and assessment instruments related to enhancing motivation.

The leading manual on group-based treatment of substance use disorders, this highly practical book is grounded in the transtheoretical model and emphasizes the experiential and behavioral processes of change. The program helps clients move through the stages of change by building skills for acknowledging a problem, deciding to act, developing and executing a plan, and accomplishing other critical tasks. The expert authors provide step-by-step guidelines for implementing the 35 structured sessions, along with strategies for enhancing motivation. In a large-size format with lay-flat binding for easy photocopying, the volume includes 58 reproducible handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. New to This Edition *Reflects significant developments in research and clinical practice. *Eight new sessions focusing on the brain and substance use, gratitude, self-control, mindfulness, acceptance, and more. *Updated discussions of motivational interviewing and the use of cognitive-behavioral techniques with groups. *41 of the 58 handouts are new or revised; all are now downloadable. See also Substance Abuse Treatment and the Stages of Change, Second Edition, by Gerard J. Connors et al., which explores how the transtheoretical model can inform treatment planning and intervention in diverse clinical contexts.