Programmed instruction

Domain II · Behavioural & cognitive · B. F. Skinner, Crowder, Keller · 1958

What it is

this is an instructional technology, not a psychotherapy. It teaches knowledge and verbal or skill repertoires to learners; it has no treatment protocol, no diagnosis-specific procedures, and no clinical trials as a therapy. Its authors wrote for schools, universities, the military and industry. A…

Format

• There are two related structures: building and running a programme (Skinner/Crowder), and running a PSI course (Keller). Neither has "sessions" in the therapy sense.
• Clinical scale: for a psychoeducation module, think 5–15 frames per concept and one PSI-style "unit" per session or per week, with a brief mastery check at the start of the next session.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• What it is, plainly: this is an instructional technology, not a psychotherapy. It teaches knowledge and verbal or skill repertoires to learners; it has no treatment protocol, no diagnosis-specific procedures, and no clinical trials as a therapy. Its authors wrote for schools, universities, the military and industry. A psychotherapist uses it to build teaching materials and courses: psychoeducation modules,…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• peeking before responding defeats the method.
• repeated failure on the same unit (see section 5).
• any frame in the six with errors; revise that frame.
• proctors marking leniently; staff spot-checks catch drift.
• recognition-only learning; pair with constructed-response frames.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.