In a worksite health promotion program, which behavior modification technique balances client autonomy and direction?

Self-monitoring is the behavior modification technique that effectively balances client autonomy and direction in a worksite health promotion program. This approach encourages individuals to take an active role in tracking their own behaviors related to health and wellness. Through self-monitoring, clients set personal goals, track their progress, and reflect on their behaviors, which fosters a sense of ownership over their health decisions.

This technique not only provides structured guidance in the form of tracking tools or logs but also empowers individuals to identify patterns in their behaviors and make informed choices based on their personal experiences and observations. By facilitating an understanding of one’s own habits, self-monitoring allows for autonomy while also ensuring that there is a framework in place to guide individuals toward healthier behaviors.

In contrast, the other techniques do not equally balance autonomy and direction in the same way. Respondent conditioning primarily focuses on creating associations between stimuli and responses, which may lead to automatic behaviors rather than conscious choice. Response-contingent techniques rely on delivering consequences that can direct behavior but may not promote an individual’s active engagement in their health journey. Satiation and restraint techniques focus on controlling food intake but generally offer less autonomy, as they can impose restrictions rather than fostering independent decision-making.