A client tells a social worker that he “can’t stand it anymore,” but does not believe that he can make needed changes in his life. He engages with the social worker in discussions about what his life would be like without his problem behaviors. The client is most likely at which stage of change?

Behavior change is best understood as a process with different stages of readiness. For most clients, behavior change occurs gradually over time, with a client progressing from being uninterested, unaware, or unwilling to make a change (precontemplation), to considering a change (contemplation), to deciding and preparing to make a change (preparation). This is followed by definitive action and attempts to maintain the new behavior over time (maintenance). Contemplation is the first time that there is some movement toward change because a client, while ambivalent about changing, may weigh the benefits versus costs (i.e., time, expense, effort) of change. The client in the case vignette is willing to examine what his life would be like if change occurred. This is contemplation.