ISSA Transformation Specialist Workbook

800.892.4772 • ISSAonline.
edu
Transformation Specialist
Workbook and Study Guide
First Edition
Claire Dorotik-Nana, MA, LMFT
International Sports Sciences Association CERTIFICATION COURSES
International Sports Sciences Association

1015 Mark Avenue • Carpinteria, CA 93013
1.800.892.4772 • 1.805.745.8111 (international) • 1.805.745.8119 (fax)
www.ISSAonline.edu
Claire Dorotik-Nana, MA, LMFT
Workbook and Study Guide

Study Companion for ISSA’s
Transformation Specialist Program
Transformation Specialist Workbook and Study Guide (Edition 1)
Official workbook for: International Sports Sciences Association’s Transformation Specialist program
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Copyright © 2018 International Sports Sciences Association.
Published by the International Sports Sciences Association, Carpinteria, CA 93013.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of
the publisher.
Direct copyright, permissions, reproduction, and publishing inquiries to:
International Sports Sciences Association, 1015 Mark Avenue, Carpinteria, CA 93013

1.800.892.4772 • 1.805.745.8111 (local) • 1.805.745.8119 (fax)
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
This text is informational only. The data and information contained herein are based upon information from various published and unpublished
sources that represents training, health, and nutrition literature and practice summarized by the author and publisher. The publisher of this text
makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the currency, completeness, or scientific accuracy of this information, nor does it warrant the
fitness of the information for any particular purpose. The information is not intended for use in connection with the sale of any product. Any claims
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of information from unpublished sources, books, research journals, and articles is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care
professionals. It is not intended to direct their behavior or replace their independent professional judgment. If you have a problem or concern with your
health, or before you embark on any health, fitness, or sports training programs, seek clearance and guidance from a qualified health care professional.
About | 3
About the Workbook and Study Guide

The purpose is to help you better understand the content of the main text. When you focus on the
important points and concepts in the text and then write the answers directly in this guide, you will
better comprehend the material. The most commonly used strategy for studying includes reading and
underlining text material and/or outlining and writing core concepts. This workout encourages each of
those methods.
Evidence shows that students who use the workbook attain a greater understanding of the course ma-
terial. ISSA recommends that you actively use this tool to prepare for your exam.
The Best Way to Use the Workbook and Study Guide

As you read the text, open this workbook to the same unit. You can follow along with the main con-
cepts as they match up. In most cases, the questions in the workbook are in chronological order. This
is a tried and true method for study and retention of information. Filling in your responses reinforces
what you have read and, most importantly, will help you become a more effective Transformation
Specialist.

UNIT 1
Stages of Change
Stages of Change | 5
1. Explain, in your own words, how knowing about behavioral change can help a personal trainer.
2. Why does understanding the clients and the specific stage of change they may be in matter, and
what are the potential drawbacks of failing to correctly assess clients’ stage of change?
3. Describe decisional balance and how it influences clients’ decisions:
4. Please describe someone in the contemplative stage of change:

6 | Unit 1
5. List two questions that can be used when working with someone in the preparation stage of change:
UNIT 2
Motivational Interviewing
8 | Unit 2
1. List the five principles of motivational interviewing:
2. List three barriers to effective listening and describe a time in which you have experienced these and
the accompanying feelings you had:
3. In uncovering ambivalence, describe the goal:
Motivational Interviewing | 9
4. List two skills that can be used to avoid resistance:
5. Describe reflective listening and its purpose:
6. List two scaling questions:

10 | Unit 2
7. List the three core elements of motivation and describe, in your own words, why they are important:
8. Describe how scaling questions can be used to overcome client ambivalence and give three
examples:
Motivational Interviewing | 11
9. Describe the relationship between motivation and empathy and list three ways to express empathy:

UNIT 3
The ISSA Drawing-In Process

The ISSA Drawing-In Process | 13
1. Describe what is meant by “mind conditioning”:
2. What are the six steps to getting what you want?
3. Describe the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation:
4. What factors can interrupt your emotional state and your motivation?
5. What plays a “pivotal role” in getting clients into the gym?

14 | Unit 3
6. Describe the “Health Belief Model” and how it affects client behavior:
7. What factors affect client adherence to exercise?
8. List the seven strategies used to draw your client in to a fitness lifestyle:
UNIT 4
Positive Psychology
16 | Unit 4
1. Describe what is meant by positive psychology as a “strengths-based” approach:
2. Define attributions and describe the three types:
3. Compare and contrast pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles:
4. Describe the implications of learning to be optimistic:
Positive Psychology | 17
5. List and describe three ways to teach your client to think more optimistically:
6. According to positive psychology, why do weaknesses arise?
7. How would positive psychology overcome weaknesses?
8. Define post-traumatic growth and discuss how it differs from resilience:

18 | Unit 4
9. List and describe the five domains of post-traumatic growth:
10. List and describe three ways you can use setbacks to build your client’s strengths:
11. List and describe the five elements of flourishing:
12. List and describe three ways to use flourishing to boost your client’s mood:
13. What is the most widely used and accepted test of a client’s optimism levels? Explain how this test
works:
14. Describe what is meant by each of the following: permanent explanatory style, pervasive explanato-
ry style, and personal explanatory style:
15. List some typical attributions of a pessimistic person:
16. List some typical attributions of an optimistic person:

20 | Unit 4
17. In the dimension of permanence, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?
18. In the dimension of pervasiveness, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?
19. In the dimension of personalization, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?
20. Describe how each dimension affects a person:
21. Describe the hope score and its importance:
22. Describe how rigid, inflexible thinking affects a pessimist:
23. Describe an exercise that can be helpful for a pessimist:
24. Describe how clients’ strengths are measured:

22 | Unit 4
25. What is the importance of a client knowing his or her strengths?
26. Describe three ways to increase a client’s positive emotions:
27. Describe an exercise to increase client engagement and flow:
28. Describe two ways to improve relationships:
UNIT 5
Commitment Strategies
24 | Unit 5
1. Describe a commitment device:
2. Describe the relationship between people who try to lose weight and the amount of energy they
spend on regulating emotions:
3. Explain the notion of self-control as a limited resource:
4. What is meant by the term hyperbolic discounting?
Commitment Strategies | 25
5. Explain how temptation costs affect behavior:
6. Describe the effects of high-carbohydrate foods on dopamine levels:
7. Compare and contrast the short-run and long-run selves:
8. List three exercises that can help us make better decisions:

26 | Unit 5
9. Describe how hot states affect behavior:
10. List three ways to reduce hot states:
11. Describe what is meant by “risk discounting”:
12. Compare and contrast performance and mastery goals:
13. List three ways to make long-term goals more certain:
14. Describe the effect of procrastinating on future behavior:
15. Describe how self-control is built:
16. List three ways to connect present actions with future outcomes:

28 | Unit 5
17. List three ways to make choices more conscious:
18. In your own words, explain how commitment strategies work:
19. List three ways to use commitments to motivate change:
20. Explain how penalties work to affect change:
21. List three penalty designs:
22. In your own words, explain why we need referees:
23. List three qualities of a good referee:
24. In your own words, define a commitment device:

30 | Unit 5
25. In your own words, explain why we need commitment devices:
26. Give three examples of commitment devices:
27. Explain the difference between a hard commitment and a soft commitment:
28. Explain the role of a referee in a commitment strategy:
29. Explain the essential requirements of an effective referee:
30. What step should personal trainers always take before using commitment strategies with clients?
Why?
31. List the steps to choosing the commitment strategy and describe the steps’ importance:
32. List the steps of choosing the penalty and describe their importance:

32 | Unit 5
33. List the steps of identifying a referee and describe their importance:
34. List and describe each of the maintenance strategies:
35. Describe how you would use commitment strategies with the following client: Jon is a 54-year-old
man who has a history of losing and regaining weight. A restaurant owner, Jon works late hours and
drinks almost every night. Jon also describes his diet as “anything goes” and has trouble finding time
to exercise of prepare healthy foods. Jon would like to lose 50 pounds and “be able to get off the
floor”:
UNIT 6
Flow and Experience Sampling

34 | Unit 6
1. List and describe the three conditions of flow:
2. List and describe the six characteristics of flow:
3. Explain what is meant by a flow channel:
4. Describe the drawbacks of multitasking:
Flow and Experience Sampling | 35
5. Explain the benefits of being fully engaged in an experience:
6. Describe the drawbacks of too little stress:
7. Describe what is meant by “chronic underutilization of our strengths” and how it affects us:
8. Describe the relationship between flow and recognizing our potential:

36 | Unit 6
9. Describe the relationship between self-transcendence and narcissism:
10. Explain how self-transcendence affects our perception of challenges:
11. Explain the relationship between flow and the growth mindset:
12. Compare and contrast flow and post-traumatic growth:
13. Describe what is meant by growth as “paradoxical”:
14. Describe epigenetic changes and the positive feedback loop they exist in:
15. Describe, in your own words, the connection between dopamine and mastery over the self:
16. List three flow tools:

38 | Unit 6
17. Describe the experience sampling method:
18. List and describe the three types of experience sampling designs:
19. Explain how experience sampling can be used to change behavior and why experience sampling is
effective:
20. List and discuss the three benefits of real-time data:
21. Describe what unique things can be learned by using real-time data:
22. List and describe the steps to using the experience sampling method with clients:
23. Describe the first step to using ESM with a client:
24. What are the benefits of ESM? The drawbacks?

40 | Unit 6
25. What can a client expect from using the ESM method?
26. Describe the importance of gaining the client’s trust in using ESM:
27. Why is ensuring motivation an important part of using ESM?
28. Why is limiting the number of signals and questions important?
29. Describe the importance of responding immediately and consistently:
30. Why should ESM survey questions not be shared with the client?
31. Why should direct questions about the behaviors to be reduced be avoided?
32. Describe how ESM can uncover behaviors and feelings that are linked?

42 | Unit 6
33. Why should answers be limited to one-sentence descriptions and focused on the present tense?
34. Which type of ESM has been used with the most consistency and most efficacy in the field of behav-
ioral change?
35. Describe the three ways ESM can be used to measure change:
36. Describe how ESM can be used to maintain change:

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800.892.4772 • ISSAonline.

Claire Dorotik-Nana, MA, LMFT

International Sports Sciences Association CERTIFICATION COURSES

International Sports Sciences Association

Workbook and Study Guide

Copyright © 2018 International Sports Sciences Association.

Published by the International Sports Sciences Association, Carpinteria, CA 93013.

Direct copyright, permissions, reproduction, and publishing inquiries to:

International Sports Sciences Association, 1015 Mark Avenue, Carpinteria, CA 93013

About the Workbook and Study Guide

The Best Way to Use the Workbook and Study Guide

International Sports Sciences Association

3. Describe decisional balance and how it influences clients’ decisions:

4. Please describe someone in the contemplative stage of change:

International Sports Sciences Association

1. List the five principles of motivational interviewing:

3. In uncovering ambivalence, describe the goal:

4. List two skills that can be used to avoid resistance:

5. Describe reflective listening and its purpose:

6. List two scaling questions:

International Sports Sciences Association

International Sports Sciences Association

The ISSA Drawing-In Process

1. Describe what is meant by “mind conditioning”:

2. What are the six steps to getting what you want?

3. Describe the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation:

5. What plays a “pivotal role” in getting clients into the gym?

International Sports Sciences Association

7. What factors affect client adherence to exercise?

1. Describe what is meant by positive psychology as a “strengths-based” approach:

2. Define attributions and describe the three types:

3. Compare and contrast pessimistic and optimistic explanatory styles:

4. Describe the implications of learning to be optimistic:

6. According to positive psychology, why do weaknesses arise?

7. How would positive psychology overcome weaknesses?

8. Define post-traumatic growth and discuss how it differs from resilience:

International Sports Sciences Association

9. List and describe the five domains of post-traumatic growth:

11. List and describe the five elements of flourishing:

15. List some typical attributions of a pessimistic person:

16. List some typical attributions of an optimistic person:

International Sports Sciences Association

17. In the dimension of permanence, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?

18. In the dimension of pervasiveness, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?

19. In the dimension of personalization, which orientation reflects optimism? Pessimism?

20. Describe how each dimension affects a person:

21. Describe the hope score and its importance:

22. Describe how rigid, inflexible thinking affects a pessimist:

23. Describe an exercise that can be helpful for a pessimist:

24. Describe how clients’ strengths are measured:

International Sports Sciences Association

25. What is the importance of a client knowing his or her strengths?

26. Describe three ways to increase a client’s positive emotions:

27. Describe an exercise to increase client engagement and flow:

28. Describe two ways to improve relationships:

1. Describe a commitment device:

3. Explain the notion of self-control as a limited resource:

4. What is meant by the term hyperbolic discounting?

5. Explain how temptation costs affect behavior:

6. Describe the effects of high-carbohydrate foods on dopamine levels:

7. Compare and contrast the short-run and long-run selves:

8. List three exercises that can help us make better decisions:

International Sports Sciences Association

9. Describe how hot states affect behavior: