Motivational interviewing, a new "panacea" in the treatment of substance use disorders? A review of literature

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic style well established in the field of treatment of substance disorders. It is defined as "a client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving client ambivalence" (Miller, W. R., Rollnick, S., 2002. Motivational interviewing: preparing people for change. The Guilford Press, New York, p. 25). After a brief theoretical introduction, this article proposes a review of efficacy and efficiency studies on motivational interviewing for substance abuse. Despite the growing evidence indicating that MI is effective, few studies have examined how MI exerts its effects (search for "active ingredients"). Some hypotheses about its mode of action are reviewed. (C) 2008 Societe francaise de psychologie. Publie par Elsevier Masson SAS.