Helping people change unhealthy or damaging behavior is one of the most significant challenges therapists face (Hall, Gibbie, & Lubman, 2012). When encouragement to stop harmful behaviors (heavy drinking, smoking, etc.) or to adopt a healthy lifestyle (exercise, taking medication, following a better diet) is ignored, it can be frustrating. Yet, in their Stages of …
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Intrinsic motivation is a much sought-after quality. “Perhaps no single phenomenon reflects the positive potential of human nature as much as intrinsic motivation, the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore, and to learn” (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p. 3). When we do something we love …
Intrinsic Motivation Explained: 10 Examples & Key Factors Read More »
Have you ever had a conversation with a friend and been persuaded to make a positive change? Think back now. What was it they said that helped you make a decision? Or was it perhaps how they said it that had an impact? Did you notice anything about their style? Without knowing it, you were …
Is Motivational Interviewing Effective? A Look at 5 Benefits Read More »
Why do we behave the way we do? Can the answer to this question help us change our less desirable behaviors? Changing less desirable behaviors can help individuals, communities, and our environment. However, behaviors can be highly ingrained and become habits we perform automatically without thinking. This poses a significant challenge to changing these behaviors. …
What Is Behavior Change in Psychology? 5 Models and Theories Read More »
Even if we know changing our behavior is good for us, change involves chartering unknown territories, putting forth effort, and letting go of familiar habits. The mixed feelings we have about change can often get us stuck in ambivalence, which is where motivational interviewing can be most powerful. The pioneering humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers (1995, …
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Motivation is a powerful predictor of change in recovery. In recent years, addiction treatments have shifted away from punitive methods and abstinence protocols toward a focus on motivation and change-based interventions (Miller & Rose, 2009). One such intervention is Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET). MET is a behavioral intervention designed to help clients with substance use …
Anxiety can leave a person feeling totally alone. Countless people worldwide understand what it’s like and share the same fears, struggles, and behavioral tendencies (Forsyth & Eifert, 2016). While anxiety may feel unavoidable, mindfulness practices can significantly benefit psychological, cognitive, and physical health and manage experiences of anxiety (Shapiro, 2020). Mindfulness helps clients cope with …
How to Use Mindfulness Therapy for Anxiety: 15 Exercises Read More »
Let me guess – you love mindfulness, you have experienced many of its benefits, and now you want to teach others. Mindfulness is a skill that can benefit anyone, but who are you hoping to teach? Mindfulness can be taught to clients, as a practitioner, or to students, as a teacher. Your motivation for teaching …
How to Teach Mindfulness: Your Ultimate Course and Guide Read More »
Since Jon Kabat-Zinn (1990) first published his seminal study of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), Full Catastrophe Living, training in mindfulness skills has become a popular intervention in a range of health and wellbeing contexts. So much so that the third wave of behavioral therapies (Hayes & Hofmann, 2017) evolved from a hybrid of mindfulness skills, …
How to Plan a Mindfulness Workshop: Best Ideas for Success Read More »
Clients seeking professional help from a counselor or therapist are often aware they need to change yet may not be ready to begin their journey. Professional consultation aims to understand the challenges and concerns of the client while recognizing that they already have much of what’s needed within them (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). For change …