Transtheoretical Therapy
"Delving deep into the process of change, I want to expose you to the Transtheoretical Approach. Once you have an understanding of this approach we will begin to dig deeper into the stages of change. After all, our clients usually seek our help hoping that we can help them change. Read the article Transtheoretical Therapy - toward a more integrative model of change.pdf. Discuss your thoughts regarding this article. What information stood out to you as a counselor and how might you apply this in your personal practice?"
Transtheoretical therapy approach was based on a composition of a multitude of different therapy systems in the attempt to integrate them into one comprehensive model that could more holistically allow therapy alternatives based on various conditions. The original model included four primary variables including:
Preconditions for therapy
Processes of change
Content to be changed
Therapeutic relationship
Despite the original variables, researchers used evidence that was collected from data regarding client dropouts to further refine the model. The processes of change were deemed one of the most important and relevant aspects of the Transtheoretical approach.
The processes that lead to change were split into two different categories of therapy activities that included both the verbal therapy approach as well as the action/behavioral therapies....
Thus, these two approaches could represent the opposite of ends of a spectrum between
psychoanalysis and the more behaviorist approaches. On the verbal side, one of the most fundamental drivers of change is considered to be conscious raising. When an individual begins to understand the possibility of change, then this can serve as a foundation in which an eventual change can manifest. Before becoming conscious of the possibility of changing a habit or
behavior, the individual does not have the potential for change. However, once the individual understands that a change is possible, then the process of change can begin.
The authors describe the Transtheoretical approach as more of a process in a dynamic set of variables that can be entirely dependent upon the client and the circumstances. A client can progress through the stages at their own pace and make progress in a trajectory that may not be at all linear in form; relapse can also send individuals back into previous stages. Another important aspect of the model is that it assumes that the client is as much as part of process of change as the therapist or the therapy system or approach. A client that…
