Highly Sensitive Person and Motivational Interviewing: Building Readiness for Change

How motivational interviewing approaches Highly Sensitive Person — resolving ambivalence and building motivation for recovery.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is particularly valuable for highly sensitive person when ambivalence about change is blocking recovery.

Ambivalence in Highly Sensitive Person

People with highly sensitive person are often ambivalent about change — part wants relief, part fears the unknown of being without familiar highly sensitive person patterns. This is normal, not resistance.

How MI Addresses Highly Sensitive Person Ambivalence

MI uses specific techniques to help people explore and resolve their ambivalence about highly sensitive person treatment:

  • Reflective listening: Hearing and naming both sides of highly sensitive person ambivalence
  • Decisional balance: Exploring pros and cons of changing vs. staying the same with highly sensitive person
  • Evoking change talk: Drawing out the person's own reasons for addressing highly sensitive person
  • Affirming strengths: Highlighting past capacities relevant to highly sensitive person recovery

MI in Highly Sensitive Person Treatment Settings

MI is integrated into many highly sensitive person treatment approaches as an engagement tool. It's particularly useful at the beginning of treatment and when motivation fluctuates.

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