Ashworth College PSY 380 Week 5 Assignment

ACTION PLAN 1 Personal Action Plan for Patient Avatar Brenna Norman PSY 380 Counseling and Behavior Change Alyssa Gilston April 20, 2021 ACTION PLAN 2 1.0 Introduction An effective action plan presents a concrete framework through which the caregiver and the patient agree that the patient will embark on a well-defined course of action to implement behavioral change. According to World Health Organization (2019), actions plan is enforceable when they aim to accomplish small changes with a high likelihood of success; thus, action plans should insist on gradual and developmental changes (Manca et al., 2014). Research has shown that efficient change programs apply a holistic and multifaceted strategy en route to assisting people in embracing the change of behavior. Equally important in an action plan for behavior change is change management tools like the widely used SMART criterion that emphasizes that behavior change goals factored in the changed behavior program are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Trackable. This action plan seeks to develop strategies, objectives, and follow-up plans for my Avatar patient, Marie struggling with binge-eating and weight problems. Further, the change action plan will involve the crafting of Objectives/Goals, Barriers to success, Barrier mitigation strategies, external support available to Marie. It will finally propose a followup plan for the patient. 2.0 Behavioral change Goals Considering the patient’s long history of binge-eating disorder, the change program should be based on realistic, measurable goals. The aforementioned SMART framework will be formulating specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and Trackable goals for my client. The five goals for the behavioral change action plan will be tracked consistently. I will encourage my client to celebrate the small wins because the whole success of the plan hinges on the little gradual ACTION PLAN 3 success. By reminding the patient that the whole is a lot bigger than the sum of the individual parts, I hope to encourage her to keep her mind on the big picture. 2.1 SMART Goals for Marie’s Over-Eating Disorder The intervention on my client’s overeating Disorder aims to achieve the following goals geared towards controlling the overeating/ binge eating disorder under control, thus achieving our therapy objectives in the long run. 2.1.1 Specific This criterion ensures that the goals that we will set with the client will be specific to avoid losing our focus to generalities. In this instance, since I am encouraging the patient to eat only three a day for at least two days a week. This goal is within the client’s capacity to attain due to the group therapy and individual counseling sessions that my client has been attending. The recent progress involved my patient eating only three meals a day, at least once a week. 2.1.2 Measurable Further, I am aiming to help my client to lose at least one pound of weight by the exercise of eating only three meals a day regularly. I hope to keep adjusting this figure by an additional pound at each achieved milestone until the patient can lose at least 20 pounds by the end of the first year of the therapy and counseling sessions. 2.1.3 Ashworth College PSY 380 Week 5 Assignment

Attainable The patient will be advised to drink regular soda only twice a week as she has confessed that the thought of drinking a soda at the end of a calorie-laden meal drives her to compulsive overeating. Therefore, we have identified soda as a trigger to the patient’s overeating. By limiting her to only three sodas a week, we will be hoping to cut the number further as the action goals are realized. ACTION PLAN 4 2.1.4 Realistic Since we believe that it would be unrealistic to assume that the patient can overcome her disorder nightly, we have set the long-term plan to help the patient determine and act upon the triggers to her condition. Thus, we plan to have the patient eat regularly for the greater part of the week by the end of the first year and have the disorder in control over two years. This is encouraged by the fact that the patient has demonstrated an extraordinary willingness to effect change. Further, the faith in the client’s strength is encouraged by the fact that we have met all our change management targets so far. 2.1.5 Trackable The treatment plan’s objective is to ensure that the client attends the gym or exercises at home at least two times a day when the urge to binge eat persists. These days should always be entered into the patient’s journal to ensure that the progress and achievement of the goal are realized. 3.0 Barriers to implementation of behavioral change The proposed behavior change plan of action will be faced with challenges of wide-ranging nature. Some of the barriers that I have foreseen include the following: 3.1 Physical Barriers According to Glowacki et al. (2017), the physical barriers that may impede the success of a behavioral change program might include a patient’s peculiar physical attributes or the attributes found in the patient’s immediate environment that might adversely affect the course and the ACTION PLAN 5 outcomes of treatment and management program. In the case of the current client, these physical factors might include the following: • Proximity to Fast-food Restaurants- The resolve to cut down on the Binge-eating sprees undergone by the client might be affected by the neighborhood that my client inhabits. The proximity and availability of foods heavy in calories and fats have contributed to excessive eating and Binge Eating. • Home Setting- The patient has admitted that her habit was fostered at an early age because her mother was a heavy eater, and there was always some junk food lying around at their home. Since the patient stills lives with her mom, there is always the lingering fear that the mother might trigger her relapse once the patient recovers. 3.2 Economic Barriers The projected economic barriers that might hinder the success of the change strategy in the case of my Client areas listed below: • Insufficient Income- Since my Client is unemployed, partly due to her condition, it will be difficult to ensure that the patient undergoes further therapy that might go a long way to ensure that the management and treatment of the overeating disorder is a successful endeavor. • Lack of Enough Professionals- The Client, has confessed that she has been unsuccessful in finding enough personnel who are wholly conversant with her disorder. Further, the lack of qualified counselors on over-eating disorders, she has been unable to join any group therapy sessions because of the lack of a group coordinator/counselor. 3.2 Social Factors ACTION PLAN 6 The patient is also predisposed to various barriers of the social dimension, such as listed below: • Stigma- My Client has admitted that she has not shared with her friends about undergoing therapy for the eating disorder because they will think her to be insecure about her appearance. • Peer-pressure- Since the majority of her friends love eating in fast-food restaurants, there is a risk that they might prevent her from getting used to the regular three meals a day program. • Conformity- Further, this plan recognizes the role played by the parents in influencing the behavior of their children. The patient’s mother’s overeating disorders might make the patient interpret the fact as endorsing the normality of her condition. Other possible barriers include the risk of health complications following sudden changes, time constraints, patient’s introversion and shyness, impatience, lack of feedback and cultural factors such as the mass advertisements from food manufacturers such as McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King. 4.0 Strategies to Address Barriers to Behavior Change I plan to utilize a multifaceted approach towards mitigating the action plan against the various inherent obstacles and barriers. I primarily plan to use a balanced combination of motivational interviewing and counseling sessions to ensure the viability of the proposed treatment course of action. 4.1 Counseling Techniques 4.1.1 Psychodynamic Counseling ACTION PLAN 7 According to Smith (2018), this approach helps the healthcare profession facilitate the patient’s psychological healing by helping the patient locate the origin of their behavior in their subconscious. Using this approach, I will endeavor to help my client discover the real motivation behind her constant craving for food despite her awareness about the harmful health effects motivated by their behavior. Specifically, I hope to utilize this Freudian theory in understanding how childhood traumas and experiences might influence Marie’s contemporary habits. 4.1.2 Interpersonal Counseling I plan to apply this approach to approach my client’s illness from a diagnosis-driven approach. This way, I hope to make my patient understand that her condition is just like any other medical condition that can be tackled with the help of medical and scientific techniques. Subsequently, this counseling technique will allow me to eliminate any sense of self-blame from the client, consequently increasing the client’s chances of corroborating the proposed behavioral change plans. Further, this approach will help prevent the patient from feeling stigmatized due to her condition. I will use this approach to effectively achieve success by encouraging the reduction of self-loathing and championing for sustained self-efficacy. 4.1.3 Reality Therapy Technique Ashworth College PSY 380 Week 5 Assignment

This counseling approach will eliminate psychological and social barriers to implementing the proposed behavior change goals. Most importantly, I will use this therapeutic approach to instill in my client the idea that she is wholly responsible for her actions. Further, this approach will help me reduce the chances of relapse because it provides an optimal framework for reorganizing my client’s organized and reprogrammed behaviors. I will use this approach to teach my client how to control her behavioral choices using the inborn control. Consequently, I hope ACTION PLAN 8 this technique solves the barriers such as stigma and the threat posed by peer pressure and the environment. 4.2 Motivational Interviewing Techniques Motivational Interviewing will help in positively influencing behavioral change in my client by helping the client resolve her desire to change (Tolchin et al., 2020). Hopefully, this technique will help my patient overcome the conflict on whether to seek medical help or to normalize her condition. Further, using this technique, I can be able to customize my change management actions as per their success on my client. This technique will be client-oriented because the recommended therapist will serve as a facilitator rather than an expert in influencing behavior change. Additionally, the approach will help safeguard the patient’s autonomy and is evocative and collaborative. The Motivational Interviewing techniques that I will apply in my avatar’s case will include reflections, making affirmations, and asking open-ended questions. 4.3 Behavioral Change Theories These are theoretical propositions that seek to understand how behavioral, personal, and environmental factors affect behavior change. Some of the most known behavioral change models include; The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), The Social Cognitive theory, and the Health belief model and areas highlighted below: 4.3.1 The Theory of Planned Behavior This theory applies to my client’s situation because it emphasizes the explanation of the behaviors in which individuals can exercise their self-control. It deals with perceived behavioral control and how it is affected by social norms and the prevalent modern altitudes. 4.3.2 The Social Cognitive Theory ACTION PLAN 9 This theory posits that behavior is determined by a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of behavior, environment, and the individual. Therefore, this theory goes a step further than the theory of planned behavior because it recognizes that behavior alone cannot answer for an individual’s personality. This idea is also relevant in the family influence in accelerating the eating disorder that my client is afflicted with. Although this theory captures the effect of a person’s behavior, the theory is wrong in assuming that a change in environment will necessarily translate to changes in behavior. 4.3.3 Health Belief Model The health belief model suggests that an individual’s faith in the personal danger posed by a medical condition in combination with belief in the efficacy of the suggested behavioral change greatly increases the individual’s probability of adapting to the behavior. 5.0 External Support The role played by the family and the patient’s close friends in the treatment and management of eating disorders cannot be taken lightly (Hilliard et al., 2018). This because friends and family play a significant role in influencing the patient’s dietary habits, it is very important to include them in the treatment and recovery programs. In my patient’s case, I hope to enlist the help of the patient’s mother, her best friend, and her brother. These three are closest to the individual, and she spends most of her time with one or the other during different times of the day. These loved ones will offer moral support to the client during her most trying periods. ACTION PLAN 10 Additionally, by including the loved ones in the behavioral change program, they will overcome any stigma towards the patient. Finally, I will enlist the services of professionals in diet and physical exercise in my treatment program. Due to the ethical issues that might arise due to sharing my patient’s confidentiality with other professionals, I will seek her written legal consent. 6.0 Follow-up Strategy After the proposed end to the behavior change program, I plan to contact my client to follow up on the progress of the treatment plan. Further, I propose to coordinate a group therapy where the patient will be expected to attend regularly. Further, I will create a social media group for my clients; this will allow me to keep abreast of all developments and get feedback on the treatment plan program. Additionally, I plan to visit the patient once a month to check her weight loss status. 7.0 Conclusion A behavioral change action plan is important in the formulation of a course of action to manage therapy, counseling, management, and treatment of both physical and psychological ailments and disorders. The action plan presented herewith seeks to formulate a clear and strategic change management plan for my avatar patient suffering from over-eating/ binge-eating disorders. The action comprehensively covers all the areas of interest, namely: goals, barriers, and mitigation of barriers, external support, and a follow-up plan that will be implemented to manage behavioral change for my client. ACTION PLAN 11 References Glowacki, K., Duncan, M. J., Gainforth, H., & Faulkner, G. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to physical activity and exercise among adults with depression: A scoping review. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 13, 108-119. Hilliard, M.E., Riekert, K.A., Ockene, J.K., & Pbert, L. (2018). The handbook of health behavior change (5th ed.). Retrieved from https://redshelf.com. Manca, D. P., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Kandola, K., Aguilar, C., Campbell-Scherer, D., Sopcak, N., & … Grunfeld, E. (2014). Implementing and evaluating a program to facilitate chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care: A mixed methods program evaluation. Implementation Science, 9(1), 1-19. doi:10.1186/s13012-014-0135-7 Smith, E. (2018). Why should we care? Psychodynamic theory and practice in counselor preparation. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 11(1), 4. Tolchin, B., Baslet, G., Martino, S., Suzuki, J., Blumenfeld, H., Hirsch, L. J., … & Dworetzky, B. A. (2020). Motivational interviewing techniques to improve psychotherapy adherence and outcomes for patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. The journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences, 32(2), 125-131. World Health Organization. (2019). Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030: more … Ashworth College PSY 380 Week 5 Assignment