Relapse Prevention Curriculum

A relapse prevention curriculum is designed to act as a road map for bringing about lasting change in behavior. The curriculum is developed based on psychological research, which indicates that unhealthy or destructive patterns run in cycles. A curriculum is structured to assist an individual in identifying the beliefs and thinking patterns that support the behavior (often called the "target behavior"), the environmental and mental states that are immediate precursors to the behavior and the psychological processes that occur immediately after the behavior. The goal is then to identify effective interventions to break the cycle at each of these stages.

Significance

• A relapse prevention curriculum is a powerful tool in behavioral change. With a focus on practical day-to-day components of unhealthy behavioral patterns, the curriculum must stress the importance of follow-through and ongoing maintenance against the risk of falling back into an unhealthy pattern. The term "lapse" is often used to denote that one part, or some parts, of the cycle have been reactivated---but that the person has not fallen into a full behavioral cycle relapse. Lapses will occur many times during the implementation of a relapse prevention curriculum, but with constant and sustained effort full relapses will be infrequent.

Considerations

• It is important to make sure the appropriate curriculum has been chosen to match the behavioral change being sought and the demographics of the individual who will be using the curriculum. It is also important to individualize the curriculum to the unique personality of the person who is seeking to prevent a relapse---it is a good idea to seek professional assistance in accomplishing this. Mental health professionals are well versed in the selection, development and implementation of a relapse prevention curriculum. Such professional assistance can also provide the support needed to follow-through with implementation strategies.

Function

• The primary function is to ensure that the individual does not relapse into a previously unhealthy behavior, and that the person has a full understanding of the cyclical nature of his behavior and the interventions needed to alter the cycle. It is believed that with awareness of the cycle and personalized interventions, an individual can develop the skills needed to independently maintain a healthy lifestyle without ongoing professional assistance.

Benefits

• When the appropriate curriculum has been used by an individual who is motivated to make behavioral change, the first benefits are those gained by ending the target behavior. However, many other benefits are frequently seen by those who successfully use a relapse prevention curriculum. Among these are increased confidence in one's ability to change, an increased sense of one's ability to self-manage and an overall improvement in self-esteem.