Intermittent Motivational Interviewing and Transdiagnostic CBT for Anxiety: A Case Study

Recent meta-analytic findings have revealed that the addition of motivational interviewing (MI) to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders improves treatment outcome. However, for the most part, previous research has limited MI as a prelude to CBT. This article explored the benefits and complications of a more integrated approach by adapting and examining an already established transdiagnostic CBT protocol to include intermittent MI strategies. The presented protocol is described and illustrated using a case study of a woman meeting criteria for four anxiety disorder diagnoses. This study presents session-by-session treatment accounts, as well as pre, post, and follow-up data. Results indicated clinically significant improvement, supporting the utility of intermittent MI strategies within CBT. Implementation recommendations and future research directions are discussed.