1. Complete the URICA Scale and determine your sub-score for each of four stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action and Maintenance
2. Complete the Short Form by simply responding “yes” or “no” to the four statements. You may type the statements and then identify which stage they place you in.
3. Write a 1 page paper in which you compare the two assessment tools, discuss the stage that each assessment tool placed you in, and discuss which stage you believe you are in. Which scale do you find to be more accurate and/or useful?
Cancer Prevention Research Center
Measures
Other: URICA (Long Form) (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment)
This questionnaire is to help us improve services. Each statement describes how a person might feel when starting
therapy or approaching problems in their lives. Please indicate the extent to which you tend to agree or disagree with
each statement. In each case, make your choice in terms of how you feel right now, not what you have felt in the
past or would like to feel. For all the statements that refer to your “problem”, answer in terms of what you write on
the “PROBLEM” line below. And “here” refers to the place of treatment or the program.
There are FIVE possible responses to each of the items in the questionnaire:
1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree
3 = Undecided 4 = Agree
5 = Strongly Agree
1. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any problems that need changing.
2. I think I might be ready for some self-improvement.
3. I am doing something about the problems that had been bothering me.
4. It might be worthwhile to work on my problem.
5. I’m not the problem one. It doesn’t make much sense for me to be here.
6. It worries me that I might slip back on a problem I have already changed, so I am here to seek help.
7. I am finally doing some work on my problem.
8. I’ve been thinking that I might want to change something about myself.
9. I have been successful in working on my problem but I’m not sure I can keep up the effort on my own.
10. At times my problem is difficult, but I’m working on it.
11. Being here is pretty much a waste of time for me because the problem doesn’t have to do with me.
12. I’m hoping this place will help me to better understand myself.
13. I guess I have faults, but there’s nothing that I really need to change.
14. I am really working hard to change.
15. I have a problem and I really think I should work at it.
16. I’m not following through with what I had already changed as well as I had hoped, and I’m here to prevent
a relapse of the problem.
17. Even though I’m not always successful in changing, I am at least working on my problem.
18. I thought once I had resolved my problem I would be free of it, but sometimes I still find myself
struggling with it.
19. I wish I had more ideas on how to solve the problem.
20. I have started working on my problems but I would like help.
21. Maybe this place will be able to help me.
22. I may need a boost right now to help me maintain the changes I’ve already made.
23. I may be part of the problem, but I don’t really think I am.
24. I hope that someone here will have some good advice for me.
25. Anyone can talk about changing; I’m actually doing something about it.
26. All this talk about psychology is boring. Why can’t people just forget about their problems?
27. I’m here to prevent myself from having a relapse of my problem.
28. It is frustrating, but I feel I might be having a recurrence of a problem I thought I had resolved.
29. I have worries but so does the next guy. Why spend time thinking about them?
30. I am actively working on my problem.
31. I would rather cope with my faults than try to change them.
32. After all I had done to try to change my problem, every now and again it comes back to haunt me.
Scoring
Precontemplation items
1, 5, 11, 13, 23, 26, 29, 31
Contemplation items
2, 4, 8, 12, 15, 19, 21, 24
Action items
3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 20, 25, 30
Maintenance items
6, 9, 16, 18, 22, 27, 28, 32
Description
The scale is designed to be a continuous measure. Thus, subjects can score high on more than one of the four stages.
Because the scale is still being validated, it is only available for research purposes. Therefore, to date there have
been no cut-off norms established to determine what constitutes high, medium or low on a particular stage. And,
again, the stages are considered to be continous and not discreet.
In one analysis, we have done cluster analyses which have yielded smaller, more homogenous groups of subjects.
Stage scores (i.e., means on each set of 8 items for each subject) have been converted to standard score (i.e., Tscores: mean=50, standard deviation=10). The cluster analysis was run on the standard scores of all 155 subjects,
producing nine cluster profiles. For your scoring purposes, you could determine subjects’ stage score (means, Tscores) and compare those to our nine profiles. Or you could do a cluster analysis and find out what profiles emerge
from your sample. If you need a discrete measure of the stages for you research, you would have to use a nominal
scale for the particular problem you are assessing. An example of such a discrete measure is reported in our article
“Stages and Processes of Self-Change of Smoking: Toward an Integrated Model of Change”, Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology (1983), 51, 390-395.
We would appreciate feedback and would be interested in your findings. We are expecting to have more cut-off
scores for each of the stages in the near future.
References
McConnaughy, E.N., Prochaska, J.O., & Velicer, W.F. (1983). Stages of change in psychotherapy: Measurement
and sample profiles. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 20, 368-375.
SMART Goal Worksheet
S.M.A.R.T.
Specific
Questions…
Does your goal clearly and specifically state what you are trying to
achieve? If your goal is particularly large or lofty, try breaking it down into
smaller, specific SMART goals.
Measurable How will you (and others) know if progress is being made on achieving
your goal? Can you quantify or put numbers to your outcome?
Attainable Is achieving your goal dependent on anyone else?
Is it possible to reframe your goal so it only depends on you and not
others? What factors may prevent you from accomplishing your goal?
Relevant
Why is achieving this goal important to you?
What values in your life does this goal reflect?
What effect will achieving your goal have on your life or on others?
TimeWhen will you reach your goal?
bound
Again, if your goal is particularly large, try breaking it down into smaller
goals with appropriate incremental deadlines.
Today’s Date:
2/24/20
Date by which you plan to achieve your goal:
5/24/20
What is your goal in one sentence? (What’s the bottom line?)
Have a career that I enjoy waking up and going to everyday.
Identify three ongoing behaviors you will do each day that will help you reach your
goal.
Be on time.
Do my best and work to the best of my ability..
Be nice and welcoming to my coworkers/ guests.
The benefits of achieving this goal will be:
I will be making more money. I also believe I would enjoy my job so much more if I
was a different position.
Verify that your goal is S.M.A.R.T
Specific: What exactly will you accomplish?
I will accomplish my goal of having a new career, by applying for a new position after
3 months of being a food runner.
Measurable: How will you (and others) know when you have reached your goal?
After 3 months, I am able to apply for a position change. When I apply and get
accepted to be a host instead of a food runner, I will know that I have reached my
goal.
Attainable: Is attaining this goal realistic with effort and commitment? Do you have
the resources to achieve this goal? If not, how will you get them?
Yes, attaining this goal is realistic with commitment and effort. I do have the
resources to achieve this goal.
Relevant: Why is this goal important to you? Hone in on why it matters.
It is important to me that I work a job that I love/ enjoy going to every day. It will
help me feel better about myself mentally and physically if I worked another position
at the job I’m at now.
Time-bound: When will you achieve this goal?
Action Plan
What specific steps must you take to achieve your goal?
This action plan may just get you started. Feel free to create a more detailed step-bystep plan.
Task/ to-do item/learning goals
Expected
Date
Reward
“What would be a first step?”
completion
actually
intrinsic or
Elicit-Provide-Elicit
date
completed
extrinsic
Brainstorming
“When could you
do that?”
OBSTACLES/CHALLENGES
“What obstacles stand in the way of you achieving your goal? “
“What concerns do you have about making this change?”
Obstacle
How will you address the
challenges if/when they arise?
“Knowing yourself as well as you do,
how could you handle that?”
Network of Support and Accountability
When working towards achieving a goal, it is helpful to have one or two people whom
you agree to check in with on a regular basis. Keeping others informed on your
progress can be a useful external motivator!
Who can you share your goal with?
1. Talk to one or two individuals who will genuinely want to see you succeed in
achieving your goal.
2. Explain to them why achieving this goal is important to you.
3. Ask if they will support you and hold you accountable in reaching your goal.
4. Select and agree upon future dates/times you will report updates on your
progress.
Contact
Frequency of updates on Agreed upon method of
progress (i.e. weekly, bi- communication (i.e. faceweekly, monthly)
to-face, phone, email…)
List future dates/times you
will report your progress
Weekly
In-person
Mom
Bi-weekly
My friends
Phone, face-to-face
Date your goal is ACHIEVED:
Congratulations on creating a SMART goal and sticking with it! Be sure to share
your achievement with your network of supporters and find a way to celebrate your
success.