Prescribing the symptom in paradoxical intervention involves ...

• A. Directing the client to activate the negative behavior in terms that are absurd and clearly objectionable
• B. Reframing the behavior positively
• C. Ignoring the symptom
• D. Reinforcing the symptom

Answer: (A)

Paradoxical intervention uses a counterintuitive move to shift how a client experiences a symptom. Prescribing the symptom involves telling the client to deliberately engage in the symptom, often in a way that is absurd or clearly objectionable. This makes the behavior feel more controllable and exposes its arbitrariness, which can reduce its power and frequency because the client now perceives the symptom as something they can manage rather than something unstoppable. That’s why directing the client to activate the negative behavior in terms that are absurd and clearly objectionable fits best. Reframing the behavior positively changes meaning but not the action itself, ignoring the symptom avoids intervention, and reinforcing the symptom would strengthen it rather than lessen it.