science

Guided self-change

Guided self-change is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Guided self-change rather than just read about it. In short: Guided self-change (GSC) treatment has been accepted by American Psychological Association Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology, as an empirically supported treatment. Brief description The Guided Self-Change (GSC) model is a brief, cognitive-behavioral, motivational intervention developed in the early 1980s.

Key takeaways

Guided self-change belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Guided self-change to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Guided self-change from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Guided self-change (GSC) treatment has been accepted by American Psychological Association Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology, as an empirically supported treatment.

Brief description The Guided Self-Change (GSC) model is a brief, cognitive-behavioral, motivational intervention developed in the early 1980s. It is a form of brief cognitive behavioral therapy. It was first developed for problem drinkers, but has since then, been researched on several populations (e.g., drug abusers, Spanish-speaking alcohol abuses, adolescents, problem gamblers). The GSC approach has been shown to improve recovery outcomes in several clinical trials and was recognized by the Surgeon General's report on Facing Addiction in America (November 2016) as an appropriate treatment for individuals who have mild alcohol or drug problems.

History Drs. Linda Sobell and Mark Sobell established the Guided Self-Change (GSC) model for treating substance use disorders while working as professors at the University of Toronto, Canada in the 1980s. The GSC is a brief, motivational cognitive-behavioral harm reduction treatment designed to offer an alternative to abstinent only treatment programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous or 12 steps. By the 1970s a considerable amount of research began to appear demonstrating that alcohol problems occurred on a continuum ranging from mild to severe, mild cases of alcohol problems were more prevalent than severe cases, and alcohol problems were not necessarily progressive (i.e., problems did not always worsen without treatment or intervention). At the time, the traditional views held that 'low-severity' alcohol problems were simply in the 'early stages' of an irreversible course to severe 'alcoholism' which required anyone with any alcohol problems to be treated with intensive-inpatient facilities. However, research did not endorse that view or the efficacy of such expensive, disruptive, and intensive treatment programs for all alcohol users which inspired the Sobells to develop a cheaper, briefer, and less disruptive treatment program that more people could benefit from. Drawing from research in England on brief interventions for individuals with alcohol use disorder (Orford & Edwards, 1977; Orford, Oppenheimer, & Edwards, 1976), their own work on 'natural recovery' (i.e., recovery from alcohol use problems without formalized treatment; L. C. Sobell, Sobell, & Toneatto, 1992), and emerging work on motivational interviewing (MI) to change behavior (Miller, 1983), the Sobells started to form a new theoretical and treatment model for alcohol use. One of the most innovative aspects of the GSC model and treatment program is the incorporation of moderation and harm reduction goals over abstinence only. The research at the time suggested that individuals with alcohol related problems preferred non-abstinence goals and that treatments allowing for moderation would increase their motivation to seek treatment than the abstinence only treatment as usual options of the time. By extension, another important difference of the GSC approach is the conceptualization of 'relapse prevention'. Where abstinent only models treat any post-quit drink as a treatment failure which occur due to a lack of skills, the GSC approach assumes that most people have the skills and resources to achieve a successful outcome (as defined by the client) and the goal of treatment is to mobilize those skills.

According to the Sobells:"Although GSC is similar to other cognitive-behavioral brief interventions for alcohol problems, it also is unique in several ways. First, GSC explicitly allows clients to choose their goal. Second, it routinely uses self-monitoring logs as a clinical procedure, for data collection, and to provide clients feedback in terms of changes in substance use. Third, it includes a cognitive relapse prevention component to provide a realistic perspective on recovery and management of goal violations. Fourth, it is flexible rather than being fixed in its structure (clients can request additional sessions after basic sessions have been completed). Fifth, it includes a planned after care telephone contact 1 month after the last treatment session. Finally, GSC uses brief readings for its decisional balance and problem-solving components." "The GSC approach has been refined and extended to various populations and settings over the years. However, the following elements have been used in most GSC studies: (a) a motivational interviewing style, (b) provision of personalized feedback, (c) brief readings and homework assignments (e.g., decisional balance, problem solving), (d) self-monitoring of substance use, (e) clients select their own goals (with the exception of clients mandated to treatment), and (f) cognitive relapse prevention."

Examples

Guided Self-Change Healthy Lifestyles Program From the Guided Self-Change Healthy Lifestyles Program Website:"The Guided Self-Change (GSC) Healthy Lifestyles outpatient program at Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) College of Psychology offers a unique short-term, evidence-based, non-12 step alternative treatment not available elsewhere in Florida. The GSCC program has been recognized in the Surgeon General's report Facing Addiction in America (November 2016) as an appropriate treatment for individuals who have mild alcohol or drug problems. It also is included the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology) website listing of Empirically Supported Treatments." "Services are offered for individuals concerned about their use of alcohol, other drugs (prescribed and non-prescribed), and tobacco products. The program also offers services for individuals who want to develop a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking cigarettes, quit gambling, deal with sleep difficulties, and reduce internet or video game use. This evidence-based, motivational harm reduction program empowers people to take responsibility for their own change and utilize personal strengths for setting and achieving goals."

Though developed in English, services have since been translated to be administered in Spanish. The number of sessions is variable and is determined by individual needs.

See also Timeline Followback Method Assessment (Alcohol) Linda C. Sobell Mark B. Sobell

References

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Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Guided self-change

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Guided self-change claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Guided self-change before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Guided self-change ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Guided self-change

In research: Guided self-change appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Guided self-change in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Guided self-change is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cognitive therapy, Psychotherapy by type, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Guided self-change outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Guided self-change in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Guided self-change means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Guided self-change out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Guided self-change in simple terms?

Guided self-change (GSC) treatment has been accepted by American Psychological Association Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology, as an empirically supported treatment. Brief description The Guided Self-Change (GSC) model is a brief, cognitive-behavioral, motivational intervention developed i…

Why does Guided self-change matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Guided self-change?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Guided self-change.