Motivational Enhancement Therapy for Substance Abuse is usually delivered in how many sessions?

• A. Usually done in 4 sessions
• B. Always requires pharmacotherapy
• C. Involves confrontation
• D. Never uses stages of change

Answer: (A)

Motivational Enhancement Therapy is a brief, client-centered counseling approach that uses motivational interviewing to help individuals resolve ambivalence and increase motivation for change. The usual delivery is four sessions, typically about 45–60 minutes each, designed to fit into outpatient settings and to be practical for clinicians. This four-session structure allows time for giving feedback, exploring readiness to change, addressing ambivalence, and planning concrete next steps, without overwhelming the client. Pharmacotherapy is not a requirement of MET; it focuses on talk therapy and motivation, though medications may be used alongside treatment when appropriate. The approach is collaborative rather than confrontational, and it does incorporate ideas about readiness to change and stages of change to tailor the conversation, so saying it never uses stages of change isn’t accurate.