Abstract
This paper presents a case history in which a client self-recorded and intervened in her pain-producing and painful behaviors. The counseling process focused upon facilitating client awareness and change through selfobservation and self-determinism procedures. Throughout the counseling process, the client chose (a) which behaviors would be self-recorded, (b) the beginning and termination of self-recording for each behavior, (c) whether or not to apply a self-determinism (self-intervention) procedure, (d) the specific self-intervention for each behavior and (e) the interval between onset and termination of each self-intervention. Over the course of the self-help program, the client self-recorded with respect to nine sets of problem behaviors and chose to apply a self-determinism procedure with respect to six of these sets. This paper describes in detail four of these processes. To the author’s knowledge, no published report documents such extensive application of self-management procedures. Finally, this paper attempts to present the process of self-determinism as an adjunct to counseling or therapy. The client is seen as an equal partner in the therapeutic work, exerts freedom of choice from the start of the counseling process, and cannot be victimized by a counselor’s application of one or two preferred modalities.
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References Note
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I thank my beloved wife Elaine for her support and editing. I thank “Emily” for teaching me at least as much as I taught her, and also for consenting to remain anonymous to protect her significant others.
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Zimmerman, J. Case Study in Self-Determinism: A Model for Client-Assisted Self-Help. Psychol Rec 29, 201–217 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394607
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394607