Glossary
Relapse prevention
What is relapse prevention?
Relapse prevention is an approach to identifying situations in which an unwanted behavior may return and developing ways to respond. In BCT Taxonomy v1, analyzing such barriers and selecting responses falls within problem solving.
Marlatt’s relapse prevention model
Marlatt and Gordon’s cognitive-behavioral model considers high-risk situations, coping responses, expectations, and reactions to a lapse. A lapse is an initial return to the behavior; it need not become a sustained return. The proposed abstinence violation effect describes a reaction such as “I have ruined everything,” which can lead someone to abandon the goal after a slip. These are proposed relationships, not a sequence everyone must follow. Hendershot and colleagues’ review, coauthored by Marlatt, explains the original model and its later revisions.
Illustrative example
For example, someone working on an alcohol-use goal with a clinician might identify Friday gatherings as a difficult setting and plan an alternative activity or a response to offers of a drink. The plan is specific to that person’s circumstances; the example does not establish that these steps prevent relapse.
Relapse prevention in the behavior change taxonomy
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions place this kind of barrier analysis and response planning within problem solving, technique 1.2.