Unemployment is seen as unadaptive behavior, and its antecedent conditions are examined. Behavioral counseling tactics of goal setting, contingency management, counterconditioning procedures, and social systems intervention are considered in relation to the employment counselor's repertoire of potential helping responses. A hypothetical case is…

A university laboratory school counselor was consulted by a fourth grade teacher in order to resolve disruptive classroom behaviors of one student who did not stay seated and spoke without permission. A behaviorial approach was employed and the study illustrates how the counselor can be effective as a consultant. (Author)

Compared effectiveness of two counseling approaches in increasing the frequency of verbal assertive responses. A homogeneous sample of students was divided into matched pairs and randomly assigned to the social learning and behavior rehearsal treatments and to a control group. Results indicated that the treatment groups produced significantly more…

Comment on article by Ray E. Hosford in same issue. Supports Hosford in general, but indicates limitations such as the lack of integration, lack of a plan for psychodiagnosis, and failure to translate more of the psychological theory into a set of concrete guidelines for use in counseling. (Author)

Comments on article by Ray E. Hosford, in same issue. Stresses his feeling that Hosford's total presentation was imbalanced in direction of overemphasis on modeling. (Author/CJ)

Describes the rationale, methodology, and scope of a new form of psychotherapy, Verbal Satiation Therapy, based on assumption that language symbols stand for real objects and events. Verbal symbols may produce emotional responses normally associated with the objects themselves. Verbal Satiation Therapy attempts to reduce the emotional component of…

Multitreatment and multiple baseline designs were used to determine the relative influences of task demands, vibration, and a brief overcorrection procedure on two topographies of self-injurious behavior in one 16-year-old severely retarded male. (Author/SEW)

Compared the effectiveness of behavioral (BT) or physical therapy (PT) for treating chronic low back pain (CLBP), for 13 BT patients and 12 PT patients. Treatments were conducted in a group outpatient setting. Posttreatment results showed general improvement for patients in both groups, but few treatment-specific differences in outcome measures.…

Evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) in aiding distressed couples (N=30) and explored the relative effectiveness of cotherapists versus single therapist. Results affirmed the overall effectiveness of BMT. A cotherapy team and a single therapist were equally effective. No differences were found between immediate therapy…

A rationale is presented for using a coping-skills training approach with college students who face important environmental demands. Two case examples of college students suffering from test anxiety illustrate the effectiveness of brief therapy approaches in teaching coping skills. (Author/CJ)

A review of traditional (such as psychotherapy) and behavioral approaches (such as self-monitoring and reinforcement) to obesity treatment of mentally retarded students led to the conclusion that the behavioral orientation was more successful. Implications for initiating such programs include thorough training, voluntary participation, and parent…

The author answers Jere E. Brophy's criticisms of a previous paper on the usefulness of behavior analysis for improving classroom teaching and learning. Briefly discusses the issues of control of student behavior, individual versus group learning, and behavior analysis versus traditional classroom management methods. (Author/MJL)

Studies dealing with toilet training of severely/profoundly retarded persons are reviewed since the systematic operant approach of N. Azrin and R. Foxx in 1971. Replications are said to be few in number and equivocal in results, although modifications with retarded and nonretarded populations have produced informative and innovative approaches.…

Twenty-nine food service employers were provided with a behavioral description of either a handicapped or nonhandicapped worker and asked to state their acceptance of select training procedures. Results indicated employers differentially accepted the use of some training procedures based upon worker description. (Author/SB)

Evaluated the effects of overt rehearsal and homework practice on covert modeling treatment of social skills. Nonassertive clients (N=79) received a combination of overt rehearsal and homework practice. Clients who engaged in homework practice and/or overt rehearsal of assertive behavior within the treatment sessions made consistently greater…