What We Actually Do and Why...the evidence base

Life Change Holidays are unique.

There are no other holidays that we know of where you can enjoy a tailor made holiday in the sun, sort out all your problems and receive 12 weeks follow up support on your return home.

This page is provides an explanation of the ideas and principles that underpin and inform our program. It will take about 10 minutes to read through, but might just change your life!

Introduction

Everything we do is “evidence based”, which means it is supported by huge amounts of strictly controlled clinical research that demonstrates clear proof that it works. We do not do anything unless we know it helps people change.

The main body of our program is underpinned by the vast body of work that has become known as Motivational Psychology, which we have been heavily involved with over it’s development during the past 27 years. Into this approach we have integrated a handful of other elements that enhance rather than detract from the positive evidence base of motivational work.

Motivational Psychology

At the beginning of the 1980s a completely new approach towards change was developed. It coincided with a time when many practitioners and researchers were recognizing the limited effects of many standard approaches. Up until this time most standard approaches, including CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Person Centred Counselling, Behavioural Therapy and Psycho-Dynamic Therapy (to name but only 4) operated from a handful of assumptions about change; that change is born out of introspective insight, that change is achieved by acquiring skills or that change is enhanced by the promotion of particular interpersonal and intra-personal dynamics.

A motivational approach sees these elements as important but not the crucial factors of why we change.

Most people know or know of people who have been “stuck” in counselling or therapy for months if not years without changing. The chances are they have already acquired all the skills necessary to change (we tend to know how to change if we really want to although anger management skills, depression re-framing and anxiety reduction skills still do come in very handy) and have above average personal insight but still feel no closer to their goal. Motivational Psychotherapy bridges this important gap.

There are now some very prominent Motivational approaches including; Motivational Interviewing, Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Brief Motivational Therapy. These approaches along with our own are underpinned by some very simple but profound ideas about change, these are:

We only change if we want to.

This really just recognizes reality, which is also reassuringly underpinned by much research! We make the best, longest changes in our lives not because we feel forced or scared or are full of wonderful insight into our childhoods or have received state of the art skills training, but simply because we really want to. Motivational Psychology is centred towards achieving this goal.

Change is not “Time Dependant”.

There is a common perception that change, especially important change takes a long time. This is not so, or supported by any evidence.

It does seem reasonable to assume that the longer someone receives help the bigger or better the changes should be. In fact this is a complete illusion which bears no relationship to reality. We can spend our entire lives receiving the wrong help and failing to change, and equally make huge changes in very short amounts of time.

Change is influenced by what we say to others and ourselves.

The “self fulfilling prophesy” notion has been around forever but only recently has it been shown to be a major determinant to change. If we say we won’t change we probably won’t, not because we can’t but because we are telling ourselves that we can’t. The aim is not simply to replace the negative sounding stuff with positive sounding stuff (while still feeling unconvinced “deep down”) but to actually identify the “deep down” meaning of what we are saying.

Change follows a predictable pattern common to all people and all changes.

How we change is known (it is the “why” which causes practitioners problems and me endless professional interest). Every change, big or small, profound to the mundane, from buying a hat to leaving your spouse, for everyone in the world, follows the same pattern. Understanding this pattern is often the key to understanding change and what we have to do next in order to move forward.

Change is a dictated by 2 elements - Importance and Confidence.

This model states that essentially change is dependant upon 2 elements; how important we feel it is to change coupled with how confident we feel that change will work out. There are now huge amounts of research to demonstrate that unless we feel “ten out of ten” in both elements long term change is very unlikely to take place.

The good news is that it is possible to influence these 2 elements easily and readily. Strategies to do this are an integral part of our programs. 

Ambivalence Resolution.

Ambivalence (feeling at least 2 different ways about something) haunts change like an unwanted guest at a wedding:

“Shall I stay in my job or leave and follow my dreams”

“Shall I stay with my wife/husband or leave to be with the person with whom I’m having an affair”

“Shall I have children or concentrate on my career”

“Do I put energy into losing weight/ cutting down drinking/ exercising more or not”

“Do I settle for depression and unhappiness or do I risk changing my life completely”

Life is full of such conflicting thoughts and dilemmas. It’s not that we’re stupid or lack insight into our lives and problems but more often that we can’t decide which route to take (or that the ways forward seem uncertain). A motivational approach recognizes these dilemmas and specialises in resolving them.

If they are not resolved completely it is unlikely that any amount of skills training, education, advice, insight oriented therapy, standard therapy or counselling will have any impact at all.

There are of course many, many other ideas, theories, skills and techniques involved in an approach that takes at least 3 years to master. Some of these I’ll list at the end of this article.

Integrated Elements

Into our main approach we have integrated some other elements making our Change Holiday and online counselling programs unique. These are:

Clinical Personality Profile

In order to make a flying start to our program we use a licensed clinical personality profile that has been adapted for our specific use by our good friend and colleague Professor Robin Russel, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, London University. This questionnaire is the most accurate and sophisticated in the world. After investing in a major project in online resources we now have our personality profile online. It takes about 30 minutes to complete which is usually done before arrival so we know a lot about you, your life, personality and difficulties before we meet you.

Behaviour Traps

We are indebted to Dr Antony Ryle for his pioneering approach in identifying behaviour traps as outlined in his Cognitive Analytic Therapy. They are the most succinct, accessible series of models which illuminates why we often get stuck.

Immediacy

Our work is influenced by a sense of immediacy and is focussed on what is clinically known as “the here and now”. It is not introspective and only retrospective in order to inform the present.For this our work draws upon important ideas which describe the “givens” of life that form part of the underpinning principles of Existential Psychotherapy as developed by Nobel Prize winner Dr Irvin Yalom.

Other Important Aspects

As well as the above major influences to our program there are a number of other elements that contribute towards the ongoing success.

Pattern of Sessions. The back to back daily nature of our sessions mean that momentum and focus is not lost in long periods of intervening time. We are able to get through huge amounts of work very quickly. The entire program, including the follow up, is roughly equivalent to 5 months weekly counselling.

Excursions. It is important to have some time out of sessions. We use tailor made activities and excursions as a way to enhance your overall therapeutic experience. For example, if you need to increase confidence we might suggest flying lessons or vegetable carving. If you are part of our Relationship Counselling program and need to rebuild trust we might suggest certain activities or excursions that you do with your partner such as rock climbing or white water rafting. We’ll work out your own tailor made pattern of activities that suit you and your program.

Directed Preparation Time. We have particular exercises that we might ask you to do in between sessions. These are never too onerous but provide you with new ways to think about old problems. It very much depends upon you and what your program is like as to whether you will find these helpful or not. Such things are discussed upon your arrival.

12 Weeks Follow Up. There is massive universal evidence to suggest that if we are able to maintain new changes in life for 12 weeks after any given intervention our long term chances of success increase to about 80%. This is why we are very keen to support you through this crucial time.

Experience and Expertise. Often practitioners have either lots of theoretical knowledge or lots of experience. We are lucky enough to have both which enhances all the “non-specific” factors that have so often proved to be the crucial factor between success and failure.

Further Reading and Resources

If you are still interested in further information and want to know more, anything by these people or about the subjects below will prove interesting to you:

Any work by Dr Bill Miller

Any work by Dr Steve Rollnick

Brehms Reactance Theory

Self Perception Theory by Daryl Bem

The Process of Decisional Balance

Ronal Rogers Health Change Models, esp Protection Motivation Theory 97.

Value Theory

There is a main web site for motivational practitioners which list registered and accredited members and teachers (you should find my name there somewhere, if you don’t please let me know) as well as a full bibliography of all published written work, research studies, clinical manuals and critical evidence now amounting to about 900 volumes. Just Contact Us for the link, or for any more information about the program or Change Holidays.

Happy reading!