Description of the Strategy

Competing response training (CRT; also, competing reaction training) is a primary component of habit reversal training (HRT), a treatment package most commonly used to reduce undesirable or maladaptive repetitive behaviors, including tics, stuttering, and habit disorders. CRT consists of teaching a competing response, which is applied contingent upon occurrence of the target behavior or any urge to engage in the target behavior for 1 to 3 minutes. Historically, the competing response has been an alternative behavior incompatible with production of the target behavior, involving isometric tensing of the same muscles in the opposite direction used to produce the target behavior. For example, CRT may consist of teaching a client to replace an undesirable response such as hair pulling with ...