Charting as a multipurpose treatment intervention for family therapy

This paper discusses the behavior modification technique of charting as a double-bind communication. Though the procedure was initially employed as a step in demonstrating operant conditioning (7) and later in diagnosis of the antecedents and consequences maintaining undesired behavior (8), it also proved one of the more powerful therapeutic interventions. Literature reviews on treatment programs for obesity (6) and behavioral approaches to marital therapy (2) support this contention. Its efficacy can be explained by integrating the viewpoints of behaviorist and family therapy approaches espoused by Haley (4) and Weakland et al. (9). Following are brief case reports in which charting resulted in quick and sometimes dramatic change.