ABSTRACT
Behavioral change theories and models are essential for helping healthcare practitioners and community providers to address patients' risky behaviors. Risk reduction activities include assessing and addressing high-risk behaviors such as the use of cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. This chapter describes strategies and brief interventions that healthcare practitioners can use to promote health and to reduce risk and harm. These simple tools include questions about the importance of the problem to the patient and their commitment to change, a decision analysis and other motivational interviewing strategies. The chapter describes how these models apply to Selan and Mengesha's family and to others whose health would dramatically improve if they made healthier choices. Healthcare practitioners need to have the skills to successfully address complex situations. Motivational interviewing views change as a continuum of stages that patients go through in order to improve their health.
