MI as an Evidence-Based Practice for Adolescents at Artemis
The teenage years unleash a new type of independence. Your teen is asserting themselves, making their own decisions, and resisting any and all parental advice. It can’t be avoided. And, for some teens, neither can the challenges that come along with it.
This includes things like resisting help or guidance, avoiding tough conversations, or struggling with things that hold them back.
From mental health challenges to substance abuse, there are a lot of things your teen could be dealing with. But they resist your guidance at every turn. This is where motivational interviewing for teens (and Artemis Adolescent Healing Center) can help.
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What is Motivational Interviewing for Teens?
Your teen doesn’t know who they are yet. Their defiance comes from testing limits and growing into their personality. This unique space in adolescence is the reason that traditional therapeutic methods come across as directive or confrontational. Your son or daughter won’t want to participate because they feel attacked.
When therapists use motivational interviewing (MI) instead, your teen actually wants to change.
But what is MI actually all about, and how does it enable and support change for adolescents?
Motivational interviewing starts with your child’s therapist listening as they talk about what they want. Their therapist uses open-ended questions to make them think about how the choices they make now either support or harm their future goals.
They learn that they can’t be the person they’d like to be and keep making harmful decisions.
This is what motivates them to change.
MI techniques can be used alone, but more often, they’re used with other approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, or group therapy. They work great as part of an integrated approach like we use at Artemis.
Who Can Benefit from Motivational Interviewing?
MI interventions can help if you feel stuck. Your teen is probably aware of mental health or behavioral problems, including substance use. But that doesn’t mean they want to change. Your teen might not believe they have the power to stop.
Motivational interviewing can help teens who are resisting treatment for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, or other mental health conditions. It’s good for teens who may feel judged for needing help. MI can also help your teen be open to substance abuse treatment.
As your teen finds intrinsic motivation, they actually want to change. Taking away pressure from parents or teachers cuts back on resistance.
Core Principles: How Does Motivational Interviewing Work?
The principles of motivational interviewing are collaboration, evocation, and autonomy. All these things are important, especially when working with teens. They are the reason MI therapy leads to positive outcomes.
Collaboration
With a more traditional therapeutic approach, the therapist acts with authority. Motivational interviewing is different. Your teen’s therapist sits with them, practices reflective listening, and collaborates on issues. It helps your teen feel heard.
By acting as a partner, instead of an authority figure, your teen isn’t as defensive or resistant to help. Your teen feels like their voice matters in the healing process. This is essential for developing trust.
Evocation
Instead of lengthy lectures about risks and negative consequences, motivational interviewing gives your teen the chance to explore consequences on their own. Your child’s counselor asks questions that encourage them to talk about what they want in life.
By discussing goals, then how to get there, your teen naturally sees that the path they are on doesn’t support their long-term goals. They become aware of their own desire and internal motivation for meaningful changes. This overcomes the resistance to authority figures that’s common during adolescence.
Autonomy
The hard truth is that parents cannot force a teenager to change. You can yell, punish, and make threats, but it’s futile until your teen is ready. Forcing change is ineffective and damages relationships.
And the reality is, most young people don’t want to hear their parents out, even when they are right.
Motivational interviewing helps your teen feel that they are making decisions about change. It’s empowering for adolescent clients, especially during a time in their lives when independence drives all that they do.
What Are the Benefits of Motivational Interviewing for Teens?
The motivational interviewing approach is proven to make teens more willing to get help with alcohol and drug abuse, mental health conditions, or other risky behaviors. It can help high-risk teens understand the importance of making decisions now that support their goals in the future.
By coming to terms with wanting change on their own, your teen is internally motivated.
MI also has positive effects on adolescent therapy. Your teen feels seen and heard, so they are more willing to participate. It can easily be adapted for your child’s needs, whatever they may be.
Parents also appreciate the way that it encourages positive transformation. Your teen starts to see their strengths, goals, and possibilities. They can grow without constant arguments or pressure. Motivational interviewing offers a much less stressful path forward.
How Does Motivational Interviewing Support Teen Mental Health?
It’s very possible your son or daughter feels embarrassed by mental health struggles. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Still, they might feel weak or ashamed and resist any type of help.
Motivational interviewing helps your teen overcome the resistance that adolescents often have toward treatment, even when it’s the best thing for them.
The open dialogue, compassion, and curiosity therapists bring to MI sessions get your teen talking about their struggles. Your teen starts to feel comfortable working with their therapist. From there, they become more open to learning practical strategies to help with their underlying issues.
How Does Motivational Interviewing Help with Adolescent Substance Use?
Most teenagers already know about the risks that using drugs or alcohol invites into their lives. Still, they experiment. Your teen may be attracted to the relief, escape, or peer approval that comes with substance use.
No matter the reason, they find themselves weighing options. Do they keep using substances, or choose the better road?
The problem is that when parents pressure kids into quitting, they only rebel more. Motivational interviewing provides a better answer. It lets your teen explore their conflicting feelings without parent intervention.
During MI, your son or daughter’s therapist helps them explore conflicting feelings. They recognize where they’d like to be in life and how their current behavior won’t help them get there. Once they see drugs and alcohol as an obstacle, your teen can find the self-motivation to quit.
Developing Discrepancy: The Key to Positive Change
Developing discrepancy is one of the most effective techniques in teen therapy. Your teen sees how what they are doing right now isn’t supporting the things they want to achieve. When they skip class or don’t do homework, they aren’t getting the grades to graduate and get a good job.
This makes a change about what your teen wants, rather than what you want for them. Your teen decides on their own that they are ready to change.
How Does Self-Efficacy Help with Teen Therapy?
Self-efficacy is the belief that you are capable of change. Your teen probably doesn’t have a lot of confidence in themselves. They might feel powerless when it comes to mental health struggles, bad habits, and peer pressure. Even though they could get help if they needed it, they might feel ashamed to ask.
An MI approach helps support self-efficacy, making your teen see their personal strengths and past successes for what they are. They’re a sign of hope. Even small successes are big building blocks for confidence.
Paired with internal motivation, this confidence is what your teen needs to change. It helps them break big, overwhelming goals into more manageable steps. They start to realize that they are capable of handling challenges and choosing healthy behaviors.
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Motivational Interviewing Questions That Spark Insight
Open-ended questions stop teens from saying “yes” or “no” without any extra thought. The right question encourages self-reflection and invites your child to share what they have to say.
For example, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how ready do you feel for change? What’s getting in your way?”
Or, “What do you enjoy about alcohol? Have you noticed any downsides?”
Motivational interviewing questions like these make your teen think critically. As they reflect on what does and doesn’t serve them, they find their own reasons for positive change. Since your teen is the one who has decided to change, they are less likely to resist it.
What are the Benefits of Open-Ended Questions in Teen Therapy?
When questions are open-ended, your teen can explore their thoughts and feelings in detail. MI sessions also feel more conversational and less like an interrogation. Your teen leaves feeling understood, respected, and empowered to change.
The Benefits of Combining Motivational Interviewing with a Holistic Approach
Motivational interviewing is powerful on its own, but it’s even more effective when combined with a holistic treatment plan. At Artemis, we use motivational interviewing techniques as the door. Once your teen is open to communication and willing to change, it can be combined with other effective approaches.
Other Therapies
Motivational interviewing breaks down some resistance your child may have to change. It’s commonly used alongside cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or other therapeutic approaches.
At Artemis, the therapies we recommend depend on your child’s needs. With a more targeted approach, there’s a greater chance of positive outcomes. CBT is especially beneficial during adolescence.
Your teen learns how their emotions affect their thoughts, then their thoughts affect their behaviors. By going to the root and responding to emotion in a better way, they disrupt the patterns that cause unwanted behaviors.
Creative Outlets
Expression is a powerful tool for teenagers with big emotions. Art, music, journaling, and movement through dance, sports, or exercise are all great forms of expression. They’re something your teen can do for themselves and offer an outlet for emotions beyond therapy.
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness plays a big role in emotional control. It stops your teen from being governed by their emotions and reduces stress that contributes to addictive behaviors and makes mental health worse.
Self-Care and Wellness
The way that your teen cares for themselves can make a big change in their overall mindset. Nutrition, exercise, hydration, sleep, and self-care all support your teen’s overall sense of well-being. When your teen feels good, it supports mental health. They’re also less likely to turn to drug or alcohol consumption for an escape.
An integrated approach addresses your whole teen, not just their mindset. By healing your teen’s mind, body, and relationships, there’s greater support to make a change.
How Can Motivational Interviewing Be Used in Adolescent Group Therapy?
Group therapy can be intimidating to teens who are scared of judgment, but it can be incredibly rewarding. Teens hear peers wrestle with similar challenges, normalizing their own experiences.
By asking open-ended questions, group facilitators invite contribution without pressure. Teens learn that they aren’t alone and that change is possible for everyone.
Common Challenges (and Solutions) of Motivational Interviewing for Teens
Like any therapeutic approach, MI has its challenges. Some of the most common issues teens have with this practice include:
- Fluctuating motivation: Your teen might feel motivated one day and resistant the next. Reinforce their progress by celebrating the small steps in the right direction.
- Resistance to opening up: Many teens are hesitant to talk at first. By starting with simple, supportive questions, there’s room for silence while still making teens think.
- External pressures: Teens may feel pushed into therapy by school or parents. Emphasize your teen’s autonomy by letting them discover personal reasons for change.
Motivational interviewing anticipates a lot of these obstacles and helps young adults overcome them. This helps therapists maintain a supportive, non-judgmental environment where growth remains possible.
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Let Us Support Your Teen With Motivational Interviewing at Artemis
Motivational interviewing skills let your teen own their future growth. They don’t feel pushed or pressured into change, and this makes them want to do better. MI helps them build confidence, self-reflect, and then make decisions that lead them toward a healthier life.
At Artemis Adolescent Healing Center, your teen will benefit from evidence-based approaches like motivational interviewing. They may be struggling now, but there is hope. We can help them discover that they really do want to change. Call us confidentially to find out how.
