What Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?

Motivational enhancement therapy is used to help people with substance abuse problems improve their motivation to quit. Learn more about how it works.

January 17, 2025 · 7 min · 1336 words · Christopher Greene

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?TechniquesWhat MET Can Help WithBenefits of METEffectivenessThings to ConsiderHow to Get Started

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Motivational Enhancement Therapy?

Techniques

What MET Can Help With

Benefits of MET

Effectiveness

Things to Consider

How to Get Started

Close

Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is a short-term technique used in the treatment ofalcoholandsubstance use disorders. This approach to treatment focuses on helping people to feel more motivated to change their destructive, harmful behavior.

MET integrates aspects ofmotivational interviewingand is based on thetranstheoretical model of change. For people who are ambivalent about giving up their addiction or who are not motivated to recover, MET can be a helpful way to inspire change. The MET approach can be useful for helping people understand the effects of their behavior and feel more capable of recovering fromaddiction.

This article discusses how motivational enhancement therapy works, what it can help with, and some of the benefits of choosing this type of treatment. It also covers some things to consider before you try MET and how to find a MET therapist.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Techniques of Motivational Enhancement Therapy

MET is brief and time-limited. It typically lasts four sessions, but in some cases may last as long as six sessions.

The first session consists of an assessment. The next two to five sessions utilize motivational interviewing strategies to help the client gain greater awareness, build motivation, and develop a plan to change.

Motivational interviewing is a counseling approach that helps people resolve their ambivalence and improve their motivation to change. It focuses on helping people become more willing, confident, and ready to change.Therapists also help clients explore coping strategies and encourage commitment to making a change.

Motivational interviewing approaches to therapy focus on five key motivational principles. During treatment, MET therapists may:

Motivational enhancement therapy is focused on overcoming a person’s resistance to changing their destructive behavior. It takes aclient-centered approachto encourage people to develop the intrinsic motivation to engage in the recovery process.

What Motivational Enhancement Therapy Can Help With

Motivational enhancement therapy was developed for the treatment of addictions, but some research suggests that motivational interviewing interventions may be helpful for a variety of conditions. Some of the conditions that MET may be useful in treating include:

Research has also found that MET can inspire positive change and help people avoid risky behaviors when living with certain health conditions.

One study found that MET led to short-term improvements in viral load in young people living with HIV.A 2021 study found that using MET as a complementary treatment for an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention could increase safe sex behaviors and reduce alcohol use in certain populations.

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Benefits of Motivational Enhancement Therapy

According to theNational Institute on Drug Abuse, MET can be beneficial because it helps people overcome their ambivalence about entering treatment and ending their substance use.Rather than directing people through a series of steps, MET is able to quickly help people develop the intrinsic motivation to work toward recovery.

Some of the key benefits of this approach include:

MET is supportive, client-centered, and nonjudgmental. Because it strongly emphasizes individual choice, it helps foster a sense of empowerment and motivation.

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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, MET is most effective at getting substance users to begin or participate in treatment and less effective at getting people to actually reduce their substance use.

The effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy can also depend on the nature of the individual’s addiction. Research suggests that MET is effective at helping people with alcohol problems reduce their drinking and become more engaged in treatment.

When combined withcognitive behavior therapy, MET has also been shown to be useful for people withmarijuana addiction. However, this approach may be less effective when it comes to other types of drugs including nicotine, heroin, and cocaine.

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While motivational enhancement therapy can be beneficial and effective for many people, that doesn’t mean that it is right for everyone or every situation. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes, evidence suggests that the efficacy of this approach tends to be mixed when it comes to substances other than alcohol and marijuana.

No matter what the nature of your addiction is, it is important to remember that MET is not typically used as a stand-alone treatment for addiction. It is best applied when it is utilized as an adjunctive approach alongside another treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, otherbehavioral therapy, or a 12-step program.

The addition of MET may help improve an individual’s treatment adherence, retention, and outcome.

Other questions you should ask include how long treatment will last, how you can determine if you are making progress, and if you can have another person present during your sessions, such as a friend, partner, or family member.

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11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Murphy RT, Thompson KE, Murray M, Rainey Q, Uddo MM.Effect of a motivation enhancement intervention on veterans’ engagement in PTSD treatment.Psychological Services. 2009;6(4):264-278. doi:10.1037/a0017577

Naar-King S, Parsons JT, Murphy DA, Chen X, Harris DR, Belzer ME.Improving health outcomes for youth living with the human immunodeficiency virus: a multisite randomized trial of a motivational intervention targeting multiple risk behaviors.Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(12). doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.212

DiClemente RJ, Rosenbaum JE, Rose ES, Sales JM, Brown JL, Renfro TL, Bradley ELP, Davis TL, Capasso A, Wingood GM, Liu Y, West SG, Hardin JW, Bryan AD, Feldstein Ewing SW.Horizons and Group Motivational Enhancement Therapy: HIV Prevention for Alcohol-Using Young Black Women, a Randomized Experiment.Am J Prev Med. 2021 May;60(5):629-638. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.11.014

National Institute on Drug Abuse.Motivational enhancement therapy (alcohol, marijuana, nicotine). Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition).

Hannah Owens, LMSW

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