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An attempt was made to discover an effective therapeutic technique for dealing with an individual who calls a suicide prevention center a large number of times (the chronic caller). There were two objectives to such a technique: (1) to reduce the frequency of calls made by chronic callers to the suicide prevention service and (2) to persuade these individuals to become more specific when discussing their problem. The method chosen to accomplish these objectives consisted of assigning a specific counselor to each chronic caller, setting a one‐hour time limit with respect to each call and, having the suicide prevention center call the chronic caller instead of waiting for the chronic caller to contact the service. Results of the seven‐week treatment program indicated that prior to having the service call the chronic callers, the mean number of calls made per week, for the treatment and control group, were roughly equal. Upon completion of the treatment condition, the mean number of calls per week for those chronic callers who had received weekly calls from the service, was significantly less in comparison with those chronic callers who had not received weekly calls. This trend in the data was maintained during a 9‐week follow‐up condition. Self‐report measures obtained from the counselors indicated that the chronic callers were becoming more concrete and specific when discussing their particular problem. Suggestions regarding the manner in which other community mental health centers might implement a similar program are also discussed.

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The present study evaluated the efficacy of using contingent‐interrupted music in treating the disruptive bus‐riding behavior of an 8‐year‐old profoundly retarded female. Music was played during each bus ride as long as the subject was sitting appropriately, and interrupted contingent upon each response defined as disruptive bus riding, during an ABCDCDCDA design. A significant reduction in disruptive bus riding occurred with each introduction of contingent‐interrupted music. The treatment procedure described in this report was easy to administer, produced rapid treatment gains, and showed virtually no regression during an 8‐week follow‐up period.