THE SIMULATION OF A DESIRABLE COUNSELING PROCESS WITH EMPHASIS ON SYSTEMATIC COUNSELOR REINFORCEMENT OF NEGATIVE SELF-REFERENCE STATEMENTS BY STUDENTS WAS REPORTED. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT DEFINITE MEASURABLE COUNSELING PROCEDURES COULD BE EXPERIMENTALLY TESTED AND HAVE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES. THE VERBAL OPERANT CONDITIONING PARADIGM WAS EMPLOYED IN AN ATTEMPT TO ANSWER SEVERAL QUESTIONS--(1) CAN THE FREQUENCY OF NEGATIVE SELF-REFERENCE STATEMENTS BE MODIFIED BY VERBAL REINFORCEMENT IN A QUASI-COUNSELING SITUATION, (2) WILL SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT PRODUCE DIFFERENT EFFECTS, AND (3) WOULD SUBJECTS RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO THE SAME SCHEDULE OF REINFORCEMENT. A FUNCTIONAL RESEARCH DESIGN PERMITTED A FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR OF SUBJECTS. RESULTS AFTER 3 MONTHS INDICATED THAT REFLECTION (PARAPHRASING) WAS NOT A REINFORCING STIMULUS WHEN MADE CONTINGENT UPON A NEGATIVE SELF-REFERENCE. IT WAS SHOWN THAT COUNSELOR REFLECTION OF NEGATIVE STATEMENTS HAD NO UNDESIRABLE EFFECT AND SEEMED TO CONTRIBUTE TO A DECLINE OF SUCH STATEMENTS. (GC)