The next step is for the therapist and patient to agree on a homework assignment relevant to the new behavioral pattern. The patient agrees to carry out the healthy behavior in a life situation, recording what happens.
The patient writes down the homework assignment, keeping the original and giving a copy to the therapist. The assignment is concrete and specific. For example, a homework assignment might be: “This week I’m going to ask my boss if I can take my vacation at the end of May. Just before asking him, I’m going to read my flash card, and then visualize asking him, just the way I planned it. Afterward, I’ll write down what happened, how I felt, what I was thinking, what I did, and what my boss did.”