The Stages of Change Model has been applied to a broad range of behaviors that include; weight loss, injury prevention and overcoming addiction (Prochaska et al., 1994). I am most familiar with this model in the substance abuse setting. The Stages of Change Model consists of five stages which are; pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance (Norcross & Prochaska, 2001).
Pre-contemplation: Clients that are in this stage within the model are not acknowledging that there is a problem behavior that needs to be changed. They are not thinking about making any changes within a 6 month time frame. Clients that are in this stage typically will defend their current behavior. The majority of clients that I worked with in a detoxification …show more content…
While these individuals are aware of the problem and are thinking of making a change, they tend to be ambivalent about it. This is a perfect stage to practice motivational interviewing. Several of the clients that I have worked with in the detoxification center were ambivalent about quitting their substance use. I used various motivational interviewing techniques to evoke change talk from the client. I liked using the motivational ruler. The motivational ruler allows the client to identify where they fall on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 meaning no interest in quitting and 10 meaning extremely motivated. If I had a client say they were at a 6 on the ruler, I would ask them why they picked a 6 instead of a 4. I would then ask them what it would take to move them from a 6 on the ruler to a 7. This would then become part of the treatment …show more content…
Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as; “I’ve got to do something about this,” “something has to change” and “I am ready to seek treatment.” In my time working at the detoxification center this was not a common stage for clients to be in. However, we did work with several clients that were able to move from contemplation to preparation. I also worked with a few clients that came into the facility in the preparation stage and then went straight into residential treatment.
Action: Clients that are in this stage believe they have the ability to change their behavior and are actively involved in taking steps to change their behavior. They practice using various skills to modify their behavior, experiences and environment in order to overcome their problems. Unfortunately, this was a stage that was rare to see at the detoxification center that I worked at. The majority of the clients entering detox are homeless who unfortunately return to the streets after their short stay of 14
Pre-contemplation: Clients that are in this stage within the model are not acknowledging that there is a problem behavior that needs to be changed. They are not thinking about making any changes within a 6 month time frame. Clients that are in this stage typically will defend their current behavior. The majority of clients that I worked with in a detoxification …show more content…
While these individuals are aware of the problem and are thinking of making a change, they tend to be ambivalent about it. This is a perfect stage to practice motivational interviewing. Several of the clients that I have worked with in the detoxification center were ambivalent about quitting their substance use. I used various motivational interviewing techniques to evoke change talk from the client. I liked using the motivational ruler. The motivational ruler allows the client to identify where they fall on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 meaning no interest in quitting and 10 meaning extremely motivated. If I had a client say they were at a 6 on the ruler, I would ask them why they picked a 6 instead of a 4. I would then ask them what it would take to move them from a 6 on the ruler to a 7. This would then become part of the treatment …show more content…
Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as; “I’ve got to do something about this,” “something has to change” and “I am ready to seek treatment.” In my time working at the detoxification center this was not a common stage for clients to be in. However, we did work with several clients that were able to move from contemplation to preparation. I also worked with a few clients that came into the facility in the preparation stage and then went straight into residential treatment.
Action: Clients that are in this stage believe they have the ability to change their behavior and are actively involved in taking steps to change their behavior. They practice using various skills to modify their behavior, experiences and environment in order to overcome their problems. Unfortunately, this was a stage that was rare to see at the detoxification center that I worked at. The majority of the clients entering detox are homeless who unfortunately return to the streets after their short stay of 14