This document outlines the steps for counseling patients to change behaviors: 1) Prepare by delivering a clear message and determining the patient's stage of change. 2) Help move the patient from contemplation to determination and action by building self-efficacy and creating an action plan. 3) Maintain the change through social support, addressing relapse as a learning experience, and ongoing follow up counseling matched to the patient's stage of change. The goal is to use brief counseling methods to help patients progress through the stages of change and overcome relapse in order to achieve long-term behavior modification.