Motivational interviewing is a collaborative way of working with the very normal experience of wanting two things at once.
Ambivalence is not a lack of motivation. It is the ordinary condition of being a person facing change, and it is usually the reason change stalls.
Motivational interviewing was developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, originally in substance use treatment, on an observation that turned out to matter everywhere: when someone is pushed toward change, they tend to argue for staying the same. The more a helper advocates, the more the person voices the other side. So the approach does the opposite. It draws out your own reasons rather than supplying them.
You will notice your therapist asking what you want, what concerns you, and what you have already tried, rather than telling you what to do. That is not passivity. It is the method.
Sessions tend to be conversational and question-led. Your therapist reflects back what you say, including the parts that contradict each other, and helps you hear your own reasoning more clearly.
There is no confrontation and no persuasion. If you decide not to change something, that is information rather than failure.
Motivational interviewing has one of the stronger evidence bases of any approach on this list. It has been tested in hundreds of randomized controlled trials across substance use, health behavior change, medication adherence, and mental health, and it has been the subject of numerous meta-analyses.
The consistent finding is that it produces meaningful effects, particularly for substance use and health behavior, and that it works well combined with other treatments. Effects tend to be modest in size but reliable across contexts, and it performs well in relatively few sessions.
This is a case where we can say the approach is well supported without qualification.
Our therapists work with clients located anywhere in Connecticut. Sessions are virtual, with limited in-person availability in Madison, CT. Most clients begin weekly, and you and your therapist will decide together what rhythm supports your capacity. Many of our therapists accept Medicaid/Husky, Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cigna, and coverage varies by therapist.
