It is this last situation, in which the individual is fully aware of and intentionally engaged in the process of growth, that is the focus of this article. Prochaska and DiClemente (1986) referred to this as "intentional change" (p. 165), and described it as a process that can occur within and without psychotherapy. They also discussed the stages of this intentional change process and highlighted the importance of recognizing which stage an individual is in, because that should suggest appropriate ways to facilitate movement in the change process. Elsewhere, these authors demonstrated that mechanisms for change are similar in both therapy-assisted and self-initiated growth (Prochaska & DiClemente. 1983) and across types of problems (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1985). This suggests that the intentional process of personal growth and change can be taught to clients so that it can be used repeatedly in an individual's life. In fact, Prochaska and DiClemente (1986) indicated that one of the primary goals of counseling is to enhance clients' knowledge of the change process and increase their skills in implementing specific mechanisms for growth. They specifically stated that in counseling, "Successful termination occurs when clients are better prepared to continue their self-change efforts" (p. 175).