Problem: As I've worked with CBT, I like how MI can function as an engagement phase that prepares young adults for the more structured work of CBT. Many of my clients arrive motivated to feel better but not really ready to challenge long-held beliefs. MI gives them space to affirm their autonomy, explore discrepancies between the lives they want and the thoughts/behaviours keeping them stuck, and reduce the resistance that can arise when CBT homework is introduced too quickly. MI used as a pretreatment significantly improves engagement and reduces dropout across modalities (Magill et al., 2018). Then, when CBT goals emerge in their own language, it is a smoother transition into cognitive restructuring and behavioural experiments because the work is tied directly to what matters most to them. Need Assignment Help?