Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing at Golden Coast Rehab in La Mesa, CA — resolving ambivalence about change without lectures or confrontation. Medi-Cal welcome. Call (858) 925-8589.
- Draws out your own reasons for change instead of supplying someone else's
- Open questions and reflection replace lectures and confrontation
- Treats ambivalence about a hard change as normal, not denial or resistance
- Keeps people in the room long enough for the rest of treatment to work
- Developed in addiction treatment after confrontational approaches proved to work poorly
- Every day, 8am – 8pm
- 100% confidential — HIPAA & 42 CFR Part 2
- Adults 18+ · dual-diagnosis welcome
Verify your insurance
Takes about 60 seconds. Our admissions team confirms your benefits and calls you back — usually within the hour.
Motivational interviewing resolves ambivalence about change by drawing out a person's own reasons rather than supplying someone else's. It was developed in addiction treatment, where the confrontational approaches that dominated for decades turned out to work poorly.
The core finding is counterintuitive and well replicated: the more forcefully someone argues for why you should change, the more you find yourself arguing the other side. People are persuaded by what they hear themselves say.
How it works in practice
Your clinician asks open questions, reflects back what you said, and takes an interest in both sides of your ambivalence rather than campaigning for one. What tends to emerge is that you already have reasons to change and have simply never had room to say them without being argued at.
Ambivalence is treated as the normal condition of anyone facing a hard change, not as denial or resistance.
What we use it for
- Early substance use treatment, where ambivalence is nearly universal — see IOP
- Decisions about medication, in either lane
- Engagement in mental health treatment when someone arrived under pressure from family, work, or a court
- Any point where the plan has stalled and pushing harder is making it worse
Ready to take the first step?
Speak with our admissions team — free, confidential, and no obligation.
Why it matters here
A lot of people arrive not fully sure they want to be here. Programs that treat that as a problem to be overcome tend to lose those people in the first two weeks. Treating it as the starting point instead is what keeps them in the room long enough for the rest of the treatment to work.
Where this fits in our programs
Therapy at Golden Coast Rehab is delivered inside a program rather than as a standalone service. That means our specialty mental health partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, provided under our County of San Diego contract, and our substance use intensive outpatient and outpatient programs under DHCS certification 370254AP.
Which modalities you work with is decided with your clinician based on what you are dealing with, not assigned by a template.
Coverage and cost
If you have Medi-Cal in San Diego County — any of the four managed care plans — treatment here can be covered at no cost to you. See how Medi-Cal works here.
Call (858) 925-8589, answered 24 hours a day. The San Diego County Access and Crisis Line is available around the clock at 1-888-724-7240.
Explore Related Care
Not sure this is the right fit?
Levels of care step up and down around your progress — start where you are, and we'll adjust together.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
Our most structured outpatient level of care, offered as a specialty mental health service.
Learn moreIntensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Evidence-based group and individual therapy with the flexibility to keep working, studying, and living at home.
Learn moreMedication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
FDA-approved medication for opioid and alcohol use disorder, managed by our medical team.
Learn moreDual Diagnosis Treatment
Integrated care for substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions — treated together, not separately.
Learn moreVerify Your Insurance
Check your coverage in minutes — free, confidential, and with no obligation to enroll.
Learn moreAdmissions Process
See exactly what happens from your first call to your start date, step by step.
Learn moreServing members of every San Diego Medi-Cal plan
Credentialed through Optum, administrator of behavioral health services for the County of San Diego.
Optum, a UnitedHealth Group companyAdministrative Services Organization for County of San Diego behavioral health — we are credentialed with Optum.
County of San Diego Behavioral Health ServicesContracted provider of Specialty Mental Health Services under County Contract 575462.Not sure if you're covered? Verify your benefits in minutes — free & confidential.
Admissions
Our Motivational Interviewing Admission Process
Starting treatment at Golden Coast Rehab is simple. Here's exactly what happens from your first call.
Call or Reach Out
Speak with a caring admissions specialist — no pressure, completely confidential.
Verify Your Coverage
We confirm what your plan covers — Medi-Cal welcome — usually the same day.
Phone Assessment
A 10–15 minute ASAM-based assessment helps us understand your history and recommend the right level of care.
Clinical Review & Intake
Our team reviews your assessment, builds an individualized plan, and schedules your start date.
Questions, Answered
FAQs About Motivational Interviewing
Is this going to be a lecture about my drinking or using?
What if I am not sure I want to stop?
Is motivational interviewing a whole course of therapy?
Does it work if someone else made me come?
Chat with us.
We're here to help you or your loved one on their path to sobriety — free, confidential.
Structure, support, and a team that knows your name — starting this week.
Five minutes. One real person on the other end — day or night. No pressure, no obligation, just honest answers about what comes next.
Every day, 8am – 8pm · Free & confidential · HIPAA & 42 CFR Part 2 protected