The Restore4Stroke self-management intervention 'Plan ahead!': rationale and description of the treatment protocol based on proactive action planning.

Objective: To describe the rationale behind and description of a group-based self-management intervention developed for stroke patients and their partners.

Rationale: Based on the assumption that proactive coping strategies are beneficial for the re-uptake of daily life by stroke patients and partners, we developed a new stroke-specific, group-based self-management intervention based on proactive action planning. A first concept of the treatment protocol was developed based on the proactive coping theory, the Health Action Process Approach model, existing interventions and expert consultations.