Motivational Interviewing stories

Hey @Rel76 ,

Welcome to the forums.

Motivational interviewing can be incredibly powerful.

I'll wait to hear what other members have to share before I add my part.

Let's say part of my therapy involved motivational interviewing rather than it being a stand alone thing. @Rel76 .

For me, I find it takes a skilful therapist who can ask questions in a way that is not invalidating or degrading, but empowering.

Also, I think timing was key. At the beginning of recovery, if people threw motivational interviewing at me, I think I would of thrown it back at them and just walked off.

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Also, I'm sending you an email.

I had a very very skilled therapist who applied a lot of different strategies from various therapy types including DBT, ACT, motivational interviewing etc. @Rel76 . Long story short, it made a huge difference in my life. It complemented the MBT treatment I was having and I still use the techniques I have learnt.

I hope you find what works for you.

I also have to say, in the beginning, I saw a number of therapists, but didn't really get anywhere. I think part of it was I wasn't ready in myself. Hence, timing is also key.

I can understand that.

It takes a lot to open up to a therapist with the average person, let alone those with specific issues.

Thank you for advising, I also agree that timing is important, At the moment, I feel like it could be appropriate to try something powerful.

I think with my therapist, we had to develop a strong rapport before he would challenge me with motivational interviewing.

At the moment, I have a coach who is a psychologist. She challenges me. This is not my first psych though. But both know me well enough to challenge my narratives so I can grow from them @Rel76

Do you have a therapist you can connect with on this level?

I need to check with my previous psychologist, as I know she specialises in certain therapies, unsure about this one.

Otherwise, I will ask others. I have called SANE also.

Hi @Rel76

The first time I tried motivational interviewing was a complete disaster, I was an angry person and I felt that the pysch was just another person telling me what to do and I just refused to listen or even contemplate that there might be a grain of truth in what they were saying. So I guess you have to be in a more open mindset for this to work. Second time was a bit better and the third time I was in a much better mindset that I finally let myself be challenged. I put into practice some of the suggestions and saw results, and it slowly built upon itself. All I can say is that you have to be open to suggestions......Asgard

As @Asgard and @tyme have mentioned a big part of motivational interviewing (and really with any therapy) being successful relies on our own willingness and readiness to engage with it.

@Rel76 If you are curious about making some positive changes and being more proactive in your mental health, but have struggled to actually get started, then motivational interviewing could be really helpful as it can help explore your own motivations for change and bring to light some of the things that have been getting in your way.

Like others have mentioned though, it can take a skilled therapist to know when to introduce motivational interviewing, and do it well so that it feels conversational and collaborative, rather than an interrogation. My therapist has used motivational interviewing, in combination with other methods like CBT and ACT, and I've found it to be really helpful and an insightful part of therapy.