We were inspired, as we often are, by the discussion in the most recent session of our bipolar 101 group to add some more content on our webpage about motivational interviewing and motivational enhancement therapy. These techniques are so often relevant to the people that we work with because mood disorders are frequently associated with difficult problems such as substance use, alcohol use, obesity, smoking, etc.
Motivational interviewing is a new “take” on how health professionals can facilitate the process of change.
It is founded on the notion that people have a natural wish and tendency towards making positive changes in their life, but these tendencies can become blocked and so the goal of the therapist is to
unblock the person’s own intrinsic capacities. A key aspect of motivational interviewing is the notion of “Acceptance” – the idea that every person has worth and positive value and that working with someone to facilitate change involved a deep respect and accurate empathy and a valuing of that person’s autonomy and ability to make decisions for themselves.
Gina Gregory was hired at Gateway recently because of her training and ability in motivational enhancement and motivational interviewing. We are very excited to have her join us and she will be contributing more articles on this topic over the next several months.