Behavior Change and Coaching Psychology
What this domain tests
Behavior Change and Coaching Psychology tests your ability to move a client from intention to sustained action using evidence-based coaching: stages of change, motivational interviewing, self-determination theory, goal setting, self-monitoring, and relapse prevention. The exam favors collaboration over instruction.
Core rules
- Stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance. Match your intervention to the stage; a plan is premature in precontemplation.
- Motivational interviewing: use OARS-open questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries-and elicit change talk. Avoid the righting reflex, or fixing too soon.
- Self-determination theory: support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Ask permission before advising; offer choices.
- Goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound; process goals such as preparing three lunches beat outcome-only goals.
- Self-monitoring: food logs, hunger ratings, and habit trackers build awareness; review without judgment.
- Relapse prevention: identify high-risk situations, plan coping responses, and normalize lapses as data.
Worked example
A client says, “I know I should eat better, but my schedule is chaos.” This is contemplation, not preparation. Rather than issuing a meal plan, reflect: “Your schedule makes consistent eating feel impossible right now.” Ask what has worked before and what a small, autonomous experiment might be. If the client proposes packing snacks, affirm and help make it specific. Reasoning: change talk from the client predicts behavior better than advice from the coach.
Traps
- Confronting or lecturing, which increases resistance.
- Giving a full plan before readiness.
- Setting vague goals like “eat healthier.”
- Treating a lapse as failure rather than a review point.