How to Assess Motivation: Constantly ask yourself about the client’s stage of motivation and introduce appropriate motivating strategies to move the client up a motivational level. This book will give you many ways of doing this. No client is alike, so you must be creative in helping all clients to see the inaccuracies in their thinking and move away from the lies toward the truth.

The Stages of Motivation

Precontemplation: the individual is not intending to take action in regard to the substance abuse problem in the near future.
- - Tasks: Try to increase awareness of the need to change; increase concern about the current pattern of behavior.
    - Goal: Make a serious consideration of change.
Contemplation: the individual examines the current positive and negative effects of drinking behavior and the potential for change in a risk–reward analysis.
- - Tasks: Analyze the pros and cons of the current behavior and of the costs and benefits of change.
    - Goal: Write a list of the positive and negative consequences of continued use.
Preparation: the individual makes a commitment to take action to change and develops a plan for change.
- - Tasks: Increase commitment and create a change plan.
    - Goal: Create an action plan to be implemented in the near future.
Action: the individual implements the plan and takes steps to change and begins new behavior patterns.
- - Tasks: Implement change and revise the plan as needed while sustaining commitment in the face of difficulty.
    - Goal: Develop a successful action for changing behavior and establish a new pattern of behavior for a significant period of time (3–6 months).
Maintenance: the new behavior is sustained for an extended period of time and is consolidated into the lifestyle of the individual.
- - Tasks: Sustain change over time and integrate the behavior into everyday life.
    - Goal: Sustain long-term change of the old behavior and establish a new pattern of behavior.
- - (DiClemente, 2006a; Prochaska, 2019; Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983; Prochaska et al., 1992; Prochaska et al., 1994)
  - Perkinson, Robert R.. Chemical Dependency Counseling (pp. 14-15). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.