Behavioral Coaching & Habit Change
What this domain covers
Behavioral Coaching & Habit Change tests your ability to help clients act on nutrition knowledge. Expect questions on readiness, motivational interviewing, habit design, self-determination theory, and relapse handling.
Core rules
- Stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance. Match your approach to the stage; action planning lands poorly in precontemplation.
- Motivational interviewing uses OARS: open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries. Resist the righting reflex. Explore importance and confidence on a 0-10 scale, then ask what would raise the number.
- Habits are built from cue, routine, and reward. Use implementation intentions ("After I ___, I will ___"), habit stacking, and environment design to reduce friction for wanted behaviors and add friction to unwanted ones.
- Self-determination theory: support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Collaborative goals outperform imposed rules.
- Treat lapses as information, not failure. Identify the trigger, revise the plan, and resume at the next meal rather than "restarting Monday."
- Track a small number of behaviors; too many goals dilute adherence.
Worked example
A client in contemplation says, "I know I should eat better, but I have no time." Do not hand over a meal plan. Reflect the tension, ask, "How important is this to you right now?" and "How confident are you?" Then co-create one implementation intention: "After I unpack groceries on Sunday, I will wash and chop vegetables for three weekday lunches." The target is specific, cued, and small enough to test.
Traps
Lecturing, jumping to solutions, using shame as motivation, and treating a missed week as all-or-nothing failure. Also avoid diagnosing disordered eating; refer when red flags appear.