Module 3: Introduction to Risk Assessment
Completion requirements
Module 3: Introduction to Risk Assessment
Module 3: Introduction to Risk Assessment, Screen 9 of 12
Information Alone Does Not Change Behavior
If a counselor tells a client who smokes, “Smoking causes cancer,” that person is probably not going to stop smoking as a result. The information might change the client’s feelings but, alone, it will not change the client’s behavior. The client may feel more inclined to avoid the counselor than to avoid cigarettes.
Similarly, telling a client, “Unless you use a condom, you are putting yourself at risk for HIV,” will probably not be enough to get that client to decide to practice safer sex.
Remember context: We all have reasons for what we do, including the things that put us at risk for HIV or other health hazards. We and our clients are most likely to change when we feel supported in thinking about the changes we want to make ourselves, not when we feel lectured or judged by others.
Information Alone Does Not Change BehaviorIf a counselor tells a client who smokes, “Smoking causes cancer,” that person is probably not going to stop smoking as a result. The information might change the client’s feelings but, alone, it will not change the client’s behavior. The client may feel more inclined to avoid the counselor than to avoid cigarettes.
Similarly, telling a client, “Unless you use a condom, you are putting yourself at risk for HIV,” will probably not be enough to get that client to decide to practice safer sex.
Remember context: We all have reasons for what we do, including the things that put us at risk for HIV or other health hazards. We and our clients are most likely to change when we feel supported in thinking about the changes we want to make ourselves, not when we feel lectured or judged by others.