Behavioral Contracting

Description of the Strategy

Behavioral contracting can be used in a wide variety of contexts. Contracting may be used to increase compliance with treatment itself or to increase compliance with a range of targeted behaviors. Contracting is commonplace in behavior therapies; it also has widespread use by clinicians of diverse theoretical orientations.

The goal of the behavioral contract is to increase frequency of a target behavior. Common behavioral contracts include commitments to attend appointments, maintain a diet, and abstain from drinking or drugs. Contracting involves creating a written agreement between the client and therapist to increase a specific client behavior. Many contracts are based on the “A-B-C” approach, which involves identifying antecedents to the behavior, defining the targeted (desired) behavior, and identifying the ...