Facilitating Behavior Change

Abstract

ccupational health nurses are expected to implement health promotion interventions during both episodic and periodic clinic visits. The interventions need to be targeted specifically to the client's needs and stage of readiness to change to maximize the outcome for employee and nurse. This article will review the transtheoretical model of stages and processes of change and suggest applications to facilitate altering problem behaviors. By identifying the five stages of change and correlating them with each of 10 processes of change, interventions can be targeted appropriately to maximize health promotion efforts. The occupational health nurse can use this model in assisting employees to increase health promoting behaviors and, at the same time, improve the clinic's outcome measures. CASE EXAMPLES One of the challenges of occupational health nursing is meeting the wide variety of needs that employees share on any given day. Meeting these needs, coupled with many other responsibilities, also represents what can be one of the frustrations of being an occupational health nurse. In today's competitive marketplace, everyone is asked (or told) to do more with less. Therefore, it is critical for successful job performance to develop methods to help maximize the occupational health nurse's effectiveness with employees without creating additional

The Art of Motivating Behavior Change: The Use of Motivational Interviewing to Promote Health

“…These patients have moved from thinking about the issue to doing something about it. The fourth stage, Action, is when change or modification of behavior actually takes place. After 3 to 6 months of success, the last stage of Maintenance is begun. During this stage, there is a focus on lifestyle modification in order to avoid relapse and to stabilize the behavior change (Cassidy, 1997; DiClemente & Prochaska, 1998). …”

“…After 3 to 6 months of success, the last stage of Maintenance is begun. During this stage, there is a focus on lifestyle modification in order to avoid relapse and to stabilize the behavior change (Cassidy, 1997; DiClemente & Prochaska, 1998).…”

“…Five of these processes, which include consciousness raising, dramatic relief, environmental reevaluation, social liberation, and self reevaluation, are experiential or cognitive processes. These are internally mediated factors that are associated with an individual's emotions, values, and cognitions (Cassidy, 1997). Consciousness raising is described as encouraging individuals to increase their level of awareness, seek new information, or to gain an understanding about a problem.…”

“…The five other processes (counter conditioning, helping relationships, reinforcement management, stimulus control, and self‐liberation) are behavioral processes (Prochaska et al, 1992; Cassidy, 1997). Counter conditioning is substituting alternatives for problem behaviors.…”

“…Counter conditioning is substituting alternatives for problem behaviors. An example might be the use of meditation to cope with unpleasant emotions (Cassidy, 1997). Helping relationships are defined as those that provide trust, acceptance, and support.…”