In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients sta

In the realm of behavioral change therapy, assessing where clients stand in terms of readiness for change is critical. Asking for a stage of change too soon can easily derail the process, confirming for many clients their worries that they cannot change—now or ever. It is imperative that therapists internalize and apply assessment skills for evaluating a patient's progress through the stages of readiness for change, as the duration of these stages can vary from patient to patient. If clients are still in the precontemplative stage, which is characterized by a lack of awareness of or interest in the need for change, introducing an action plan is often a waste of time. Only when clients have moved at their own pace through the contemplation stage—only when they have weighed the risks of not changing and faced the insecurities that change brings—are they ready to enter the preparation stage, establishing reasonable goals and organizing a plan to achieve those goals. Some therapists rush clients through preparation and into plans of action, but unprepared clients are often not committed to these plans. Such patients are likely to abandon the plans in the action stage and almost certainly will not reach the behavior maintenance stage. The larger the life change—for example, losing 50 pounds to manage diabetes or quitting smoking—the more carefully the therapist must manage the preaction stages of readiness for change.

1. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

I. The pace at which clients move from precontemplation to action is individualized.
II. Linear progression through the stages of change is necessary for the patient to succeed in making lasting lifestyle changes.
III. Clients who enter the maintenance stage have completed the integration of changed behaviors into their lives.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only


2. It can be most reasonably inferred from the passage that

A. people who make lifestyle changes with the assistance of a therapist succeed more often than people who make lifestyle changes unassisted
B. people in the preparation stage have already passed through the precontemplative stage
C. the preaction stages of change readiness are more important than the action stages
D. therapists often rush clients through the precontemplation and contemplation stages of change
E. health issues are the most likely motivation for important lifestyle changes