Integrating Motivational Interviewing and Brief Behavioral Activation Therapy: Theoretical and Practical Considerations

Iván C Balán; C W Lejuez; Marcela Hoffer; Carlos Blanco

doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2015.07.001

Integrating Motivational Interviewing and Brief Behavioral Activation Therapy: Theoretical and Practical Considerations

Cogn Behav Pract. 2016 May;23(2):205-220. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2015.07.001.

Authors

Iván C Balán¹, C W Lejuez², Marcela Hoffer¹, Carlos Blanco¹

Affiliations

¹ Anxiety Disorders Clinic, New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 69, New York, NY 10032, USA.
² Department of Psychology, Center for Addictions, Personality, and Emotion Research (CAPER), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-5141, USA.

Abstract

Behavioral Activation and specifically the Brief Behavioral Activation Therapy for Depression (BATD) has a strong record of empirical support but its focus on practical out of session activation-based assignments can lead to poor levels of adherence if efforts to enhance motivation are not prioritized. Towards this end, this manuscript describes the assimilative integration of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and BATD to improve clinical outcomes by integrating MI's focus on building and maintaining motivation to change into BATD. The manuscript provides an overview of MI and BATD, theoretical issue raised in integrating the two approaches, and examples of how this integration results in a nondirective and motivation-focused approach to conducting BATD.

Keywords: Behavioral Activation; Motivational Interviewing; homework; retention.

Abstract

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