Transtheoretical Model of Change
In addition to the six stages of change, there are nine different processes that can be used to facilitate moving through the stages of change. Learning and understanding these nine processes helps us greatly in the movement through self-change. Note that not every process will be important to assist with every change and not every process is helpful in every stage of change. Therefore, it is important to be aware of your own stage of change and apply these processes accordingly during addiction treatment.
| Process | Definition | layman’s definition |
|---|---|---|
| Social Liberation | increased awareness of the availability or acceptability of a change by society | this is possible and okay (in society) |
| Helping Relationships | any relationships that encourage or support movement through the stages of change | my people help me change |
| Self-Reevaluation | evaluating who you are and who you want to be | know yourself; know your worth |
| Consciousness-Raising | becoming more aware of the potentiality and reasons for change | could I and how could I? |
| Commitment | choosing and persisting in change | I’m doing this |
| Emotional Arousal | an emotional response that motivates change | I feel x, so I should do y |
| Countering | substituting new behaviors and thoughts in place of the behaviors and thoughts we are working to change | replacing behaviors and thoughts with new behaviors and thoughts |
| Stimulus Control (aka Environmental Control) | adjusting one’s environment to reduce availability of old behaviors and increase the availability of new behaviors | changing your surroundings to support change |
| Reinforcement Management (aka Rewards) | instituting a reward for a change | change gets me stuff that makes me happy |
While these nine processes can be used at any point in change, research shows that they are most effective when applied during the below stages of change.
| Precontemplation | Contemplation | Preparation | Action | Maintenance | Termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| helping relationships | |||||
| consciousness-raising | |||||
| social liberation | |||||
| emotional arousal | |||||
| self-reevaluation | |||||
| commitment | |||||
| reward | |||||
| countering | |||||
| environmental control | |||||
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