Which treatment approach helps patients to clarify personal goals and increase commitment to recovery?

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered counseling style that aims to help individuals explore and resolve ambivalence about change. This approach is particularly effective in the context of addiction recovery and behavior change, as it encourages patients to articulate their personal goals and aspirations. By doing so, it fosters intrinsic motivation and commitment to the recovery process.

In motivational interviewing, the therapist uses open-ended questions, reflective listening, and affirmations to help the patient recognize their own motivations for making positive changes. This collaborative dialogue allows patients to define what recovery means to them, helping them to clarify their objectives and increasing their accountability towards achieving those goals.

The other approaches mentioned, while beneficial in various therapeutic contexts, do not specifically focus on enhancing commitment to personal goals in the same manner as motivational interviewing. Cognitive behavioral therapy concentrates on modifying negative thoughts and behaviors, exposure therapy is designed to help individuals confront fears in a controlled way, and solution-focused therapy emphasizes finding solutions in the present rather than delving into past issues. All of these methods serve important roles in mental health treatment, but they do not prioritize the exploration of personal motivations and goal setting to the extent that motivational interviewing does.