Identifying a specific type of exercise that the client has been avoiding and using relaxation to help the client avoid the activity is appropriate for which stage of change?

• A. Preparation
• B. Action
• C. Contemplation
• D. Maintenance

Answer: (A)

In this phase, the person is moving from considering change to getting ready to act. The key is formulating a concrete plan and identifying steps to begin. Here, naming a specific exercise the client has been avoiding and incorporating a coping strategy like relaxation shows you’re progressing from ambivalence toward ready-to-act, with a clear next step. This planning and anticipation of barriers—before actually performing the new behavior—characterizes the Preparation stage. It’s different from contemplation (ambivalence without a concrete plan) and from action or maintenance (the behavior is already being performed and sustained).