This Advisory is based on TIP 35, Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Use Disorder Treatment. It addresses the spirit, application, and fundamentals of motivational interviewing (MI), discusses how practitioners can effectively employ MI in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and provides tools that practitioners can use to encourage and promote lasting positive outcomes for their clients.

This Advisory is based on Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 21, Addiction Counseling Competencies: The Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Professional Practice. It discusses the development of the counseling competencies and the validated research on which they are based, provides a simplified overview of their structure and the elements of a typical competency, and outlines how these competencies are changing the field of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment nationwide. The Advisory also addresses the critical role of cultural competency.