Project PREMIR

This study was a secondary analysis of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) tapes from Project MATCH to explore the value of client change talk (CT) as an active mechanism in motivational interviewing. We reviewed 118 therapy tapes using an objective behavioral coding system, the Sequential Coding of Process Exchanges (SCOPE). This project tested the hypothesis that therapist behaviors that were consistent with Motivational Interviewing (MICO) would be associated with more change talk (CT) and that more change talk would be associated with better drinking outcomes (as measured by Percent days Abstinent). We found evidence to support this causal chain at the end of treatment. The variance in drinking outcomes accounted for by client change talk in sessions was small, but we note that, unlike other sources of variance, this can probably be influenced by the provider.