Identifying a specific type of exercise that the client has been avoiding and using relaxation to help the client avoid the activity is appropriate for which stage of change?

Identifying a specific type of exercise that the client has been avoiding and using relaxation to help the client avoid the activity is appropriate for which stage of change?

• A. Preparation
• B. Action
• C. Contemplation
• D. Maintenance

Answer: (A)

In this phase, the person is moving from considering change to getting ready to act. The key is formulating a concrete plan and identifying steps to begin. Here, naming a specific exercise the client has been avoiding and incorporating a coping strategy like relaxation shows you’re progressing from ambivalence toward ready-to-act, with a clear next step. This planning and anticipation of barriers—before actually performing the new behavior—characterizes the Preparation stage. It’s different from contemplation (ambivalence without a concrete plan) and from action or maintenance (the behavior is already being performed and sustained).

In this phase, the person is moving from considering change to getting ready to act. The key is formulating a concrete plan and identifying steps to begin. Here, naming a specific exercise the client has been avoiding and incorporating a coping strategy like relaxation shows you’re progressing from ambivalence toward ready-to-act, with a clear next step. This planning and anticipation of barriers—before actually performing the new behavior—characterizes the Preparation stage. It’s different from contemplation (ambivalence without a concrete plan) and from action or maintenance (the behavior is already being performed and sustained).