Motivational Enhancement Therapy

Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is a time-limited, four-session treatment for alcohol and other substance use disorders, developed from motivational interviewing and motivational therapy and used in Project MATCH, a United States government-funded study of alcohol treatment, and in the Drinkers' Check-up, which gives clients normative feedback and explores their motivation to change in light of it. Rather than guiding a patient through the recovery process directly, MET aims to invoke inwardly motivated change through motivational strategies, combining an initial assessment session with two to four individual therapy sessions in which a specialist discusses the patient's experience with substance use, gives feedback on the initial assessment, and works with the patient on strategies and a plan for change that are monitored and reviewed in later sessions. It has been found effective with adolescents in particular because it focuses on the counselor-client relationship and on gently guiding a client's own intrinsic desire to change, which matters because many adolescents do not readily trust a counselor, so building that relationship and an environment receptive to change helps surface that motivation.