Motivational interviewing therapy is a powerful tool in the treatment of adolescent substance use disorders. At Foothills at Red Oak Recovery®, this treatment approach plays an important role in our adolescent therapy programs due to its unique benefits and effectiveness in helping teens recover.
To get your teenage boy into an evidence-based treatment program, reach out to our team today by calling 828.519.5047.
The Principles of Motivational Interviewing Therapy
Motivational interviewing (MI) therapy is a unique method of talk therapy that emphasizes collaboration between the therapist and the client.
Unlike therapeutic styles such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy, MI therapy focuses less on providing direction to the client. Instead, the therapist’s goal is to empower the client to direct their own recovery.
During MI therapy sessions, clients spend time considering what works best for them and create their own unique process of overcoming their challenges. These sessions might involve questions such as:
- What does a life in recovery look like for you?
- What are your biggest challenges in achieving abstinence?
- What sort of things can you do to overcome those challenges?
In this way, teenage boys who participate in motivational interviewing for substance abuse can determine their own needs and create their own plans for recovery. This process creates a sense of ownership about their treatment and can lead to dramatic and rapid results.
Motivational Interviewing and Substance Abuse
Motivational interviewing and substance abuse treatment go hand in hand. MI therapy is for treating substance use disorders, and is one of the most effective treatment options available. For teenage boys specifically, MI therapy can help in these ways:
Build Resolve for Recovery
The first phase of MI therapy is to determine where in the change process the client is and solidify his resolve for recovery. This phase is particularly important for adolescent boys, who often struggle with building or maintaining a desire to stay sober.
MI therapy helps spell this desire out, put it into words, and make it a resolve that can last for years to come.
Emphasize Personal Choice
Some adolescent boys who are placed in substance use treatment centers feel like their choices have been taken away from them. This can feel stifling for the teenage mind, which craves independence.
By helping clients recognize that the actions they take in sobriety are their own choices and not anything forced upon them, motivational interviewing sessions can help teens take ownership of their own sobriety.
Take Actionable Steps
Many teens who struggle with substance use or mental health challenges feel like they have overwhelming expectations placed upon them. Goals such as “get sober,” “improve your grades,” or “find a new social group” can feel impossibly large. This can lead to them not taking the necessary steps toward recovery.
MI therapy allows teens to break these larger goals into actionable steps that fit into their lives. For example, the first step toward recovery may be staying sober for the next day, finishing a homework assignment, or making just a single new friend.
This entire process is guided by what your teen thinks the next actionable step should be, making them much more likely to succeed.
Start Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse With Foothills at Red Oak Recovery®
Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® uses motivational interviewing as just one component of our comprehensive treatment program for adolescent boys. By combining a client-driven approach with an abundance of other evidence-based techniques, we use every tool at our disposal to help teens break free from addiction and achieve recovery.
To get started with evidence-based treatment for your teenage boy, call our team today at 828.519.5047 or use our online contact form to learn more about our adolescent therapy programs.
