Counselling is useful for healthcare providers to help patients especially for problems that need lifestyle modification or cases related to psychosocial issues. There are many techniques used for different purposes in counselling. One of the effective structured counselling strategies commonly used is the 5 A’s (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange).

The 5 A's technique was initially developed for use in smoking cessation intervention. It systematically covers assessment of the risk behaviour and counselling for the behavioural change. Evidence has shown it to be effective for smoking cessation, alcohol intake and weight loss. The technique has been integrated in the Chronic Care Model for behavioural intervention counselling.

This video will demonstrate how the 5 A’s steps are applied in a brief smoking cessation counselling.