The Stages of Readiness to Change

A Behavior Change Model by Prochaska and Diclemente
(Changing for Good, By James O. Prochaska, John C. Norcross, Carlo C. Diclemente, 1994)

The Stages of Readiness to Change is a tool which can help you assess where you are in your journey along the road to change, help you gain greater understanding of the process of change and help you successfully make lasting changes to behaviours which you are ready to change.

This 'model' or framework for thinking about change has been tested with people attempting to change behaviours such as smoking, unhealthy eating and exercise habits, as well as various other habits and behaviour patterns. It can also be applied to any major life decision where a person may be 'in two minds' about it, such as whether to leave a job or stay.

The six stages which people tend to go through in the process of change are described below. In this model, people move 'from being unaware or unwilling to do anything about the problem, to considering the possibility of change, then to becoming determined and prepared to make the change, and finally to taking action and sustaining or maintaining the change over time'.

As you can imagine, this is not always a straightforward process. Proachaska and DiClemente also emphasise that 'moving through the stages of change requires effort and energy for thinking, planning and doing'. No wonder even thinking about change can make you a bit tired!

It is important to remember that people often cycle through these stages a number of times before they successfully change a particular pattern of behaviour, so don't give up the first time - think of it as spiralling upward rather than going round in circles! Spiral Of Change Diagram

If you are having difficulty understanding the Academic Progress rules, or wish to discuss your situation further, you can attend a Phoenix Rising workshop. Register here.

The above is based on information provided by WHISC - Women's Health: Interventions for Smoking Cessation as part of the Provider Tool Kit for Assisting Women to Quit Smoking. WHISC is a project funded by a grant from The Duke Endowment to Wake Forest University School of Medicine in partnership with the Northwest AHEC (North Carolina) Program. January 2001, and from "Motivational Interviewing: Preparing people for change" (2nd Ed) by Miller and Rollnick (2002).