Reducing risky behavior with habit reversal: A review of behavioral strategies to reduce habitual hand‐to‐head behavior

MPatton et al. (2020) pulled together every paper they could find on habit reversal. They looked only at studies that tried to stop hand-to-head habits like hair pulling, nose picking, or face touching. The review gives a step-by-step recipe you can use today.

The team says habit reversal training (HRT) is ready for prime time. Three parts matter most: teach the person to notice each urge, give the hands a brief job that blocks the habit, and have a friend cheer the new move. No fancy gear needed.

Watson et al. (2005) ran almost the same plan on tics in a classroom. They also used a quick awareness cue plus a competing arm movement. Their kids kept the gains all day, showing the same tactic works for both tics and face-touching.

Lancioni et al. (2009) looked at 41 older studies on severe hand stereotypies. Most used restraints or extra toys. HRT gives a safer, restraint-free option that still keeps hands busy.

Vos et al. (2013) went one step further. They ran a short telehealth test and found social attention kept a cough habit alive. Once they knew the function, the cough stopped in days. Pairing their brief functional check with HRT could make your treatment even faster.

You can start Monday. Pick one client who touches their face during work. Spend five minutes showing them how to clasp their hands in their lap for ten seconds each time they feel the urge. Add a quick praise from you or a peer. Track the touches for one week. If the numbers drop, keep going. If not, run a tiny functional analysis like Vos et al. (2013) and adjust the competing response. No extra staff, no cost, and you cut infection risk at the same time.