Dismantling motivational interviewing: Effects on initiation of behavior change among problem drinkers seeking treatment.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an efficacious treatment for alcohol use disorders. MI is thought to enhance motivation via a combination of 2 therapeutic strategies or active ingredients: 1 relational and 1 directional. The primary aim of this study was to examine MI's hypothesized active ingredients using a dismantling design. Problem drinkers (N = 139) seeking treatment were randomized to 1 of 3 conditions: MI, relational MI without the...