Counselor prompts to increase condom taking during treatment for cocaine dependence.

Gutierrez et al. (1998) worked with adults in cocaine treatment. Counselors gave a short verbal prompt before each session. The prompt told clients to take free condoms from a bowl.

The team used an ABAB design. They measured how many condoms clients took with and without the prompt.

Prompting made condom taking jump nearly six times higher. When prompts stopped, taking dropped back to near zero.

Staff later stopped giving prompts even though the prompts worked well. Clients said the prompts felt pushy.

Brenske et al. (2008) and Farmer-Dougan et al. (1999) used the same ABAB setup. Their verbal prompts also created quick, large gains in older adults with dementia and in learners with developmental disabilities. The pattern shows prompting works across very different groups.

Halbur et al. (2020) looked at the other side of the coin: the person who gives the prompt. Parents in that study mastered prompting but liked least-to-most best. C et al. saw the opposite: counselors quit the simple prompt they were asked to use.

Bellon-Harn et al. (2020) tried to curb impulsive choice in adults with addiction using eight sessions of ACT. They improved distress and behavior but not delay discounting. C et al. took a lighter touch—one sentence—and changed a health behavior the same day. The two studies together suggest quick antecedent prompts can beat longer therapy for some risky acts.

You can get big, fast gains with a ten-word prompt. Put the desired item in reach, add a polite reminder, and watch the behavior rise. Track staff use, though—without feedback the prompt will probably fade. Pair the prompt with a staff reward or make it part of a checklist to keep it alive.