Stages of Change

As humans, making a change doesn’t happen all at once. We all move through several stages in the process of change — and we don’t always move steadily forward. Ask yourself: do I really understand the Stages of Change and how they affects those in my life?

When You Are Not on the Same Page

If your child or family member is experiencing depression, your instincts may tell you to jump in and help them. But if you are not in sync with where they are in the journey, your actions can strain the relationship. Perhaps your loved one has told you, “leave me alone,” “you’re the one with the problem,” or “I’m doing this my own way.” These words can be painful. They shouldn’t discourage you, however, from taking action.

Stages of Change Video Series

Our video series can help you if

• you are concerned about your loved one’s mental health but they don’t see a problem
• your family member is avoiding your efforts to communicate with them
• your loved one has made positive steps towards addressing their depression but now are having trouble maintaining their progress.

By watching, you can learn some tips on how to better support your loved one at each stage. Download our Stages of Change Fact Sheet for a quick reference you can refer back to after watching the videos.

Stages of Change Overview

In this 5-minute overview, we review the six stages within this model. Start with this video to get a solid foundation for understanding how people move through different phases when making changes in their lives.

Pre-Contemplation

In the Stages of Change model, Pre-Contemplation is where change begins. As the name suggests, this stage is simply focused on raising awareness of the behavior that needs to be changed. The person living with depression might not even realize that there is a problem or could be in denial that any issues exist.

Contemplation

In general, the Contemplation stage involves the person realizing that there may be a problem and that a change may need to be made, but they still may have some resistance. This stage may be a very emotional time for your loved one. Recognizing that one behavior is a symptom of depression may lead your loved one to examine all of their behaviors, which can be emotionally overwhelming.

Preparation

In the Preparation stage, the decision to make a change has been made, it is just a matter of determining how to make the change. This stage helps solidify your loved one’s motivation for making the change. They need to take time to fully commit to and prepare for the change in order not to disrupt the process in future stages. In other words, don’t skip this stage.

Action

This phase is where the plan your loved one considered in the previous stages is put into place. During the Action stage, you may see positive changes in your loved one’s mood. They may feel relief for finally having the support, motivation, and resources they need. They may even have a sense of excitement for the possibilities ahead.

Maintenance

In the Stages of Change model, the Maintenance stage focuses on creating skills that support the new behavior. While reaching the Maintenance stage may feel like the process is over, there is still work to be done.

Relapse

The Relapse stage is any point when the process of change is disrupted. We center Relapse in the middle of our model because relapse can happen any time and does not have to occur after a change has been adopted.

You CAN Take Action

Family members are often in the best position to notice signs of a mood disorder.  They can also marshal the resources to support their loved one. Having realistic expectations and a deeper understanding of the process change can help you help them. Even if you aren’t on the same page, there are things you can do to support your family member.