Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is a goal-oriented, short-term treatment approach used as part of a substance use disorder treatment program. The goal of MET is to increase motivation for change. The best New Jersey addiction therapy programs, like BlueCrest Recovery, offer MET to clients to help them reach their goals.
MET requires the client and therapist to work together to devise a plan for change that is founded on the client’s beliefs and goals. Ultimately, a motivational enhancement therapy program exists to positively impact the client’s quality of life.
To learn more about how our MET program in New Jersey can help you or someone you know, contact BlueCrest Recovery at 888.292.9652.
How Does a Motivational Enhancement Therapy Program Work?
MET uses motivational interviewing as its main process and begins with an in-depth assessment of a client’s problem, their thoughts on it, and their goals related to the problem and challenges. The assessment is followed by four to six regular sessions that discuss substance use and evoking change.
Even though it’s a short-term therapy, it adjusts clients’ self-defeating thoughts and behaviors to promote change and create a plan for treatment success. The following five techniques can be applied during the course of BlueCrest’s motivational enhancement therapy program in New Jersey:
- Expressing empathy
- Developing discrepancy
- Avoiding arguments
- Meeting resistance with reflection
- Supporting the client’s self-efficacy
Therapists validate the client’s experience through reflection and active listening to help them realize the impact substance use is having on their life. This is what developing discrepancy is, and it can take a while for the client to come to this point.
In other words, discrepancy is the gap between where a person is in life and where they want to be. Realizing that substance use has a negative impact on their lives can be a painful and sensitive process, but when MET is successful, the client — not the therapist — voices arguments for change.
During a client’s time in a MET program in New Jersey, the therapist avoids challenging the client’s initial feelings and denials about substance use. There is no arguing and no pressure from the therapist; conflict can destroy any trust the client has placed in the therapist up to that point.
Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to reach their goals. Ultimately, these programs are designed to help clients build self-efficacy, which takes time, encouragement, and support.
During therapy, motivational interviewing techniques like reflecting the client’s statements back to them, asking open-ended questions, and summarizing the client’s progress can help cultivate self-efficacy.
What Are the Benefits of Our Motivational Enhancement Therapy Program in New Jersey?
A big part of discovering an individual’s inner motivation and increasing self-efficacy is realizing how their behavior impacts them. But it also includes how substance use impacts others. By expressing empathy for those around them, motivation for change can grow.
One of the biggest benefits of MET is helping clients overcome resistance to substance use disorder treatment. Intrinsic motivation is vital at every stage of recovery, but it’s also essential in order for a person to want to begin the journey to recovery.
Other benefits of motivational enhancement therapy are its quick timeline of four to six sessions and its emphasis on the value of the client’s choice.
Finding Motivation to Heal with MET at BlueCrest Recovery
Motivational enhancement therapy programs are powerful and effective treatment options that are designed specifically for individuals who struggle with substance use disorders.
MET is a means of boosting recovery by breaking down resistance to treatment and improving self-efficacy. If you or a loved one needs help through a MET program, contact BlueCrest Recovery at 888.292.9652.
