Client experiences of motivational interviewing: An interpersonal process recall study.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Addiction Treatment
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic approach used for alcohol abuse.
• Understanding the client's subjective experience of therapy is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore clients' experiences of the therapy process in motivational interviewing for alcohol abuse.
• To identify key therapeutic elements from the client's perspective.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing grounded theory.
• Interviews with nine clients using interpersonal process recall (IPR) with video-recorded MI sessions.
• Analysis of transcribed interviews using grounded theory.

Main Results:

• Clients perceived a single MI session as a complex interpersonal interaction.
• This interaction influenced clients' cognitive and affective intrapersonal processes.
• Identified important aspects included non-confrontational approach, affirmation, and discrepancy development.

Conclusions:

• Client experiences partially confirm hypothesized MI processes.
• Therapeutic relationship and therapist qualities, common to all therapies, are highlighted as important.
• Client perspectives are vital for research, with IPR being a suitable methodology.