Most people experience ambivalence when facing growth — part of them wants change, while another part resists it. This internal tug-of-war can make it difficult to move forward, even when change is deeply desired.
At My LA Therapy, we offer specialized Motivational Interviewing in Los Angeles to help individuals resolve ambivalence, strengthen internal motivation, and take meaningful action toward lasting change.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a research-based therapeutic approach designed to help people clarify their goals and strengthen their commitment to change through:
• Compassion
• Collaboration
• Autonomy
• Empathy
• Respect
Rather than telling you what to do, MI helps you discover what you want — and why.
It is especially effective when you feel:
• Unsure about making a change
• Conflicted about your next step
• Resistant to pressure
• Stuck in old patterns
• Afraid of failure
• Overwhelmed by decisions
Motivational Interviewing helps transform uncertainty into direction and hesitation into forward movement.
Motivational Interviewing is widely recognized as one of the most effective therapies for:
• Addiction treatment
• Substance use recovery
• Alcohol misuse
• Drug dependency
• Behavioral addictions
• Habit change
• Lifestyle change
• Mental health treatment
Clinical research consistently shows that MI improves outcomes for people seeking to change addictive or self-defeating behaviors.
MI is particularly useful when someone:
• Is not fully ready to quit
• Feels pressured by others to change
• Has relapsed in the past
• Feels discouraged
• Doubts their ability to succeed
Through therapy, clients gain clarity about their own values and build confidence in their ability to change.
Motivational Interviewing is grounded in humanistic psychology, pioneered by Carl Rogers. This philosophy holds that people change best when they feel:
• Understood
• Respected
• Supported
• Safe
• Accepted
• Heard
At its core, MI is a collaborative process between therapist and client.
You are the expert on your life.
We are here to guide, support, and help you unlock your own motivation.
We do not impose our beliefs or agenda.
We do not shame or pressure.
We do not force solutions.
Instead, we help you explore what truly matters to you and translate that insight into action.
At My LA Therapy, Motivational Interviewing sessions help you:
• Explore conflicting feelings
• Clarify goals
• Identify values
• Strengthen commitment
• Build confidence
• Overcome resistance
• Increase self-trust
• Create actionable steps
Therapy is structured but flexible, allowing your personal motivation to lead the process.
As motivation increases, so does your capacity for change.
Our goal is to help you:
• Increase autonomy
• Strengthen inner motivation
• Build emotional resilience
• Develop self-compassion
• Achieve sustainable growth
• Maintain progress over time
Motivational Interviewing is client-centered, meaning therapy focuses on what you most want from treatment.
Ambivalence is met with compassion, not judgment.
Resistance is explored, not confronted.
Change is invited, not forced.
We’re so confident in our extraordinary therapists that we guarantee you’ll love your match – or your money back.
At My LA Therapy, our highly-vetted Anxiety experts are selected not only for their clinical acumen but for who they are.
Motivational Interviewing works alongside the Stages of Change Model, which identifies five primary phases of transformation:
At this stage, a person may not yet recognize a need for change or may feel resistant to the idea of changing.
This stage often feels stuck — but it is the foundation for future growth.
Here, individuals begin weighing the pros and cons of change. They may feel torn between staying the same and moving forward.
MI helps clarify values and strengthen readiness.
In this stage, motivation increases but action may be delayed due to fear, uncertainty, or procrastination.
Therapy helps convert intention into movement.
Behavioral change begins and progress becomes visible.
Setbacks may occur, but momentum is developing.
Sustaining growth becomes the focus. Therapy helps clients navigate stressors that could trigger relapse into old habits.
Motivational Interviewing supports long-term change, not just short-term improvement.
Motivational Interviewing is not about quick fixes.
It is about creating durable, self-directed motivation.
Over time, clients often experience:
• Greater self-confidence
• Stronger emotional regulation
• Increased self-awareness
• Healthier decision-making
• Reduced shame
• Improved relationships
• More consistent follow-through
Even when setbacks or delays occur, MI helps individuals recover more quickly and recommit to their goals.
Motivational Interviewing is a scientifically validated treatment shown to be effective for:
• Addiction recovery
• Mental health conditions
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Trauma-related patterns
• Lifestyle change
• Health behavior change
Therapy can help reduce anxiety, challenge self-defeating beliefs, and restore a sense of peace and direction.
Our therapists integrate MI with other evidence-based approaches to support your whole person — not just one behavior.
At My LA Therapy, our highly-vetted therapists are chosen not only for their clinical excellence, but for their ability to create warm, trusting, nonjudgmental relationships.
We help clients:
• Identify goals
• Strengthen motivation
• Navigate ambivalence
• Create sustainable change
• Maintain progress
• Reconnect with their values
• Build a fulfilling life
Change does not require force.
It requires understanding, clarity, and self-belief.
Therapist
Therapist
Therapist
I am blown away! I don’t write testimonials, unless I have been extremely moved by something. I was blessed to work with Brooke on a single session, and before this I was in therapy on and off with multiple therapists for the last 20 years of my life. Brooke was able to do more in one session than many years of work with my previous therapist. She has the true gift of great insight and compassion while also getting straight to the heart of your blind spots and unconscious issues in a way that has truly changed my life.
Skyler J.
There are people who are good at their work there are people like Brooke: who are born to do it. I cannot recommend Brooke more highly. I can only imagine where I would be today if I had started working with her years ago. From the beginning of our session, she knew exactly what tools and questions that would work for my particular psychology and my personal experience. No other therapist has been able to do that or anything close.
What I also really appreciate from our session is Brooke's ability to go directly to the source of the issue while also keeping a very gentle and kind energy with me. I felt very seen, understood, and supported. Everything and more that I could have ever asked for from a therapist. I have a severe trauma history and complex issues she was able to immediately identify and help. If she could help me, I know she can help you too.
Taylor E.
You did more in 45 minutes than my last therapist did in a year.
Jamie
With your help, I've finally started to understand that while my vivid imagination often wants to create terrifying monsters under the bed, in a lot of cases those monsters are nothing more than a heap of decidedly less-terrifying laundry I've avoided for too long that just needs to be aired out and put away. Which is definitely a lot easier than monster slaying. Thank you for shedding light in the dark places I was too afraid to face alone.
Morgan B.
I am extremely fortunate to work with Sydney, who is helping me create real internal change. The talent to listen well is Hall of Fame stuff, and she has that. She then follows with questions, strategies that are organic to the moment. I have come to believe that deep, radical, if occasionally deeply painful change ... and, then, healing can happen. I'm just at the lip of that last part - but would not have gotten there, AT ALL, without Sydney
Ric K.
The best therapist ever! Life-changing 🙂
Catherine H.
Right now, the work is changing my life, sometimes in inches, sometimes in miles.
Ric K.
130 Ocean Park Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90405
720 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 204 Santa Monica, CA 90401
11845 W Olympic Blvd, Suite 1250W Los Angeles, CA 90064
8500 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 740 Beverly Hills, CA 90211
16055 Ventura Blvd. Suite 1010 Encino, CA 91436
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My LA Therapy In Person Office Locations
