Part 3/10: Health Behaviours

Learning Activity

A major role that Health Psychologist can play is helping people to change their health behaviours. This change can
include reducing unhealthy behaviours and/or increasing healthy behaviours. For this learning activity, you will practice the
skill of developing a behaviour change plan for a client.

Instructions:
Imagine that you have a client that wants to get healthier. Identify a health behaviour your client wants to change
(this can be either something they want to stop/do less of or something they want to start/do more of).
 Develop a behaviour change plan for your client using 3 different strategies that were talked about in module 3 video 2.
 Clearly identify each strategy with the type of strategy that it is (e.g., is it classical conditioning, stimulus control, covert
self-control, etc).
 Clearly explain what the client needs to do (e.g., for a stimulus control strategy, the client must hang a chart on their
fridge that they check off each time they eat a fruit).
 Identify why the strategy should lead to the desired behaviour change.
 Include in your behaviour change plan one way that you will help your client to prevent relapse.
 Refer to information from the textbook or module videos to explain why your relapse prevention strategy should be
effective.

Grading Rubric: 21 marks possible

Health Behaviour
Health behaviour clearly identified Yes (1) No (0)

Behaviour Change Plan

Strategy 1 correctly identified Yes (1) No (0)
Strategy 1 clearly explained in terms of what the client has to do Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)
Clearly explained why strategy 1 should change the behaviour in the desired direction Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)
Strategy 2 correctly identified Yes (1) No (0)
Strategy 2 clearly explained in terms of what the client has to do Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)
Clearly explained why strategy 2 should change the behaviour in the desired direction Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)
Strategy 3 correctly identified Yes (1) No (0)
Strategy 3 clearly explained in terms of what the client has to do Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)
Clearly explained why strategy 3 should change the behaviour in the desired direction Detailed (2) Vague (1) Incorrect or absent (0)

Relapse Prevention Specific (2) Vague (1) Absent or incorrect (0)

Described an appropriate method of relapse prevention
Included information from the textbook or module video to support the
efficacy of the relapse prevention strategy.

Writing Yes (1) No (0)

Writing is coherent and (nearly) free from errors