Motivational versus confrontational interviewing: A comparison of substance abuse assessment practices at employee assistance programs

The aim of this study was to conduct a quasi-experimental comparison of two employee assistance program (EAP) assessment approaches with substance abu sers: confrontational interviewing (CI) and motivational interviewing (MI). A total of 176 EAP clients from 14 study sites met the study criteria, and 89 (51%) agreed to participate in the study. At three and nine months post assessment, both the MI and CI groups showed similar changes in readiness f or change completion of initial treatment plans, and subsequent treatment, Most important, both the MI and CI participants showed significant and comp arable improvement on all of the substance abuse baseline measures as well as measures of family-social well-being and effects of drinking/drugging on work performance. The results open the door for EAP counselors to use an e mpirically supported assessment style that is at least as effective as the traditional confrontational approach.