APA Dictionary of Psychology

time-limited, structured interventions designed to help individuals change specific behaviors or manage health conditions. They are typically characterized by their short duration, which can range from a single session of 5 to 20 minutes in duration to several sessions, during which the practitioner uses goal-oriented techniques such as personalized feedback, motivational interviewing, and an action plan to identify a patient’s potentially problematic behavior (e.g., alcohol or tobacco use, sedentary behavior); get the patient to think differently about that behavior; and motivate the patient to change it.