A motivational intervention for adolescent smokers

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a brief psychotherapeutic intervention to increase the likelihood of a client's considering, initiating, and maintaining specific change strategies to reduce harmful behavior. MI is founded on principles of motivational psychology, client-centered therapy, and stages of change in natural recovery from addiction. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) embeds MI within a structured format of standardized intake assessment, personalized feedback of testing results, and follow-up interview to facilitate treatment outcome evaluation. This paper presents research evidence for the efficacy of MET, a description of the methods and goals of MI counseling approach, and the rationale for MET as an appropriate brief intervention for adolescents. Specific recommendations for application of MI to adolescent smokers are offered.