Stress inoculation therapy is a cognitive behavioural approach to stress management developed by Donald Meichenbaum (1977). He argued that just as people can be inoculated against a flu virus, they could also be inoculated against stress and become stress-resistant. Stress inoculation therapy involves three phases: 1) conceptualization - using the cognitive interview to identify and clarify the nature of the person’s stress and to educate them about the nature and effects of stress, and how stress inoculation works; 2) skills acquisition - where the person learns a series of skills for dealing with stressful situations; and 3) rehearsal and follow through or application - where the person puts into practice what they have learned.