Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

Lori introduces the five stages of behavior change, according to psychologist James Prochaska: 1) Pre-Contemplation (not yet thinking about change); 2) Contemplation (deliberation, with ambivalent resistance); 3) Preparation (gearing up to take steps); 4) Action (performing change); 5) Maintenance (preserving the change). She uses Charlotte’s drinking as an example. When she started therapy, she thought of herself as a “social drinker,” not connecting her other’s alcoholism with her own. When she had her DUI, she moved into contemplation by recognizing she had a problem, but was unwilling to take steps (“People often start therapy during the contemplation stage” (558)). When she started to cut back on her drinking, she entered the preparation stage, which finally led to action as she started to attend an addiction-treatment program. The final stage implies dealing with occasional setbacks (she had drinks when her father promised to come but cancelled at the last minute).

Lori posits that Charlotte must also deal with her addiction to unsuitable men (notably, the Dude, who is a cheater and avoidant type of personality). Charlotte realizes “he won’t change, so she’ll have to” (565). She reschedules her therapy to avoid meeting him.