BEHAVIOR MANANGEMENT PROGRAM

Lauren N. Seifers
Behavior Management Program
PSYS 371 Ball State University

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A. Introduction
The following behavior management program will help a client cut back on impulsive
spending so he/she can save a total of $300 in an 8-week period. Impulsive spending is to be
defined as any purchase the client makes which is not deemed as a necessity.
B. Assessment Procedure
Before baseline data is taken, an intake screening will be done to assess the clients
current spending habits before treatment. Indirect baseline data will include the client selfmonitoring his/her current spending habits, as well as all bank statements from 12 months prior.
Bank statements will allow the therapist as well as the client identify exactly what his/her money
is being spent on each week/month.
Even though the therapist cannot physically observe any direct baseline data, the amount
of the target behavior (frequency, duration, and intensity) should be noted from either the client
or from the bank statements. For example, frequency should include how often the client is
impulsively spending, and duration should indicate how long this behavior has been happening.
Time sampling will record specifically when the behavior occurs, as well as when it does not
occur. This data can be recorded each time the client plans to spend money. Observer reliability
will not be an issue, considering the bank statements tell exactly when and where the impulsive
spending occurred.
C. Program Design
The goal of the behavior management program is to identify the stimuli within the
environment that encourages the behavior of impulsive spending. The target behavior in this
program is the impulsive spending.

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The intervention to be used will be a general budget plan that should be filled out every
week. The purpose of the budget plan is to calculate exactly what the client is spending his/her
money on. Both the therapist and the client will understand that filling out the budget plan is not
a guideline, but a rule for the program.
D. Implementation Strategies
The therapist will implement the data collection, which will occur over an 8-week period.
A differential reinforcement at low rates schedule (DRL) will be used to cease the behavior of
impulsive spending. Fading will also be used to gradually withdraw from the behavior of
impulsive spending.
At the end of each week if the client has not made any unnecessary, impulsive purchases,
he/she will be allowed exactly $10 to use to go out with friends. Since the reinforcer will only
occur at the end of each week if the client succeeds at meeting the goals of saving money, the
reinforcer is on a fixed ratio schedule. The $10 will be the conditioned, delayed positive
reinforcement each week in hopes of increasing the behavior of saving money.
If, however, the client makes unnecessary, impulsive purchases during the week and does
not follow budget, they will not be rewarded with the $10, therefore making the reward
contingent. To avoid impulsive spending, the clients debit card will have a maximum spending
amount, which will serve as a stimuli for extinction (S^). The reward is only $10 each week so
satiation does not occur. Besides the possibility of $10 at the end of each week, an intrinsic
positive reinforcer will be the fact that the client is saving more and spending less.
After the end of the 8-week program, there will be three follow-up appointments. The
first will be in office, one month after. The second will also be in office, six months after the first
appointment. The last follow-up will occur one year from the start of the behavior program.

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However, this follow-up will occur via telephone. The purpose of these follow-up appointments
is to make sure the client is still successfully applying the behavior techniques learned from
therapy to real-world situations.
E. Ethical Issues
The ethical concerns within this behavior management program will include the client
signing an informed consent form, which will give permission for therapy to occur. The client
will need to physically sign and verbally commit to the therapist accessing his/her previous and
current bank statements. The bank should be informed of the program taking place. Besides the
previous concerns, no ethical issues will result from this program.
F. Program Evaluation
The goal of this program is to cut back on impulsive spending as well as save $300 in a
period of 8 weeks. The therapist and client will know if the program was successful by how
much money the client saved at the end of the program. Also, if weekly budget plans indicate the
client has drastically cut back on impulsive purchases, the therapist and client will know the
program was successful. However, if the client does not save a total of $300 at the end of the 8week program and weekly budget plans indicate the client has not cut back on impulsive
purchases, the therapist and client will know the program was unsuccessful.
If an extinction burst or spontaneous recovery occurs, it will be understood by the
therapist and the client that mistakes are made to learn from, and to continue with the program.
However, the therapist will use reprimands if the client makes impulsive purchases during the
week.

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G. Other Concerns/Issues
One concern with this behavior program is the therapist and the client coming to a mutual
agreement on which purchases are necessary and which are impulsive and unnecessary. For
example, the client may purchase a box of hair dye and believe that is a necessity. However, the
therapist may not agree that hair dye is a necessity and may deem the purchase as impulsive.
Categories within the weekly budget plan should be agreed upon as necessary or impulsive by
both the therapist and client beforehand.

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References

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