In Counseling and Helping Relationships, counselors are trained in behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions such as systematic desensitization. This technique involves:
Developing a fear hierarchy (e.g., levels of anxiety for social situations),
Teaching relaxation or coping skills, and
Gradually pairing relaxation with exposure to feared situations.
Client progress is often measured using Subjective Units of Discomfort/Distress (SUDS) ratings. When the intervention is effective, the client’s SUDS ratings for the same stimulus (e.g., attending a social event) decrease over time.
A decrease from 70 to 60 (Option A) indicates that the client experiences less anxiety in that situation, which is evidence that systematic desensitization is working.
An increase from 60 to 70 (Option B) shows worsening anxiety.
Reactivity due to being observed or keeping a diary (Options C and D) refers to measurement reactivity or the Hawthorne effect, not to successful treatment outcomes.
Therefore, the best indicator that systematic desensitization is working is the decrease in SUDS rating, making A the correct answer.
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