Help clients plan for setbacks before they happen
Clients who anticipate obstacles and pre-plan their response bounce back from stumbles quickly — instead of treating one missed session as proof that the whole attempt has failed.
Why this matters
The most common pattern in behaviour change is not failure — it's the collapse that follows a stumble. A client misses two gym sessions because of illness, then stops going entirely because "I've already broken it." A missed meal plan becomes "I've ruined the week." This all-or-nothing thinking is entirely predictable — and preventable.
Relapse prevention research, developed by Marlatt and Gordon and since applied across behaviour change broadly, shows that anticipating high-risk situations and pre-planning a response dramatically reduces the chance of a single slip becoming a full relapse. The coach's job is to make this planning a normal part of every goal conversation — not a pessimistic afterthought, but a practical act of preparation that treats setbacks as expected rather than shameful.
In practice
After setting a goal to train three times a week: Coach: "What's the most likely thing that could get in the way?" Client: "Work getting crazy." Coach: "And if that happens and you miss a session, what's your plan?" Client thinks. "I could do a 20-minute home workout instead of skipping." Coach: "Let's make that the rule: when work gets busy, 20 minutes at home counts. You're never starting from zero." Three months later the client has had two difficult weeks — and bounced back from both.
Source: Marlatt, G.A. & Donovan, D.M. (Eds.) (2005). Relapse Prevention: Maintenance Strategies in the Treatment of Addictive Behaviors (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Try it today
At the end of your next session, after agreeing on a goal, ask: "What's the single most likely obstacle to this in the next two weeks?" Then: "And if that happens, what's the minimum you could do to keep the habit alive?" Write down the answer.
Make it a habit
Add a setback plan to every client goal: "If [obstacle], I will [minimum response]." Review it at the next session — not as a failure prompt, but as evidence that the client was prepared. A client who executes their setback plan is succeeding, not failing.
Ready to put this into practice?
Sticky Coach helps you track client habits and conversations — so nothing falls through the cracks.
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