Paradoxical counseling strategies with middle school students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the treatment process of using a paradoxical intervention strategy when the counselor assumed a "one-down" position would be more effective than using a paradoxical intervention strategy when the counselor assumed a "one-up" position in increasing task relevant and socially appropriate behavior, while decreasing time-off-task behavior and disruptive behavior of students identified as behavior problems. The study was conducted at Farragut Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee. Subjects were eleven students identified by their teachers as behavior problems. A Goal Attainment Scale was developed for each student and used to evaluate outcomes. A multiple baseline design was employed which provided baseline periods ranging from one to two weeks for different subjects; followed by two counseling interviews per week over a four week period. It was hypothesized that students who received counseling using a paradoxical intervention strategy when the experimenter assumed a "one-down" position would result in a greater increase in task relevant and socially appropriate behavior and a greater decrease in time-off-task and disruptive behaviors, than students in the groups using paradoxical intervention strategy when the experimenter assumed a "one-up' position or short-term problem-solving. The hypothesis was not supported by the data collected in this investigation.