Behavior Therapy

 

 

 ("Behavioral therapy & brain ," 2013)

 Founders: B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), Albert Bandura (b.1925), Arnol A. Lazarus (b.1932)

(shawneewiggins.blogspot.com) 

 

 

 Key Concepts: The seven key characteristics of behavior therapy are described by Corey (2009) below:

1. Behavior therapy is based on the principles and procedures of the scientific method. Experimentally derived principles of learning are systematically applied to help people change their maladaptive behaviors.
2. Behavior is not limited to overt actions a person engages in that we can observe; behavior also includes internal processes such as cognition, images, beliefs, and emotions. The key characteristic of a behavior is that it is something that can be operationally defined.
3. Behavior therapy deals with the client's current problems and the factors influencing them, as opposed to an analysis of possible historical determinants. Behavior therapy recognizes the importance of the individual, the individual's environment, and the interaction between the person and the environment in facilitating change.
4. Clients involved in behavior therapy are expected to assume an active role by engaging in specific actions to deal with their problems. Rather than simply talking about their condition, clients are required to do something to bring about change.
5. This approach assumes that change can take place without insight into underlying dynamics and without understanding the origins of a psychological problem. Behavior therapists operate on the premise that changes in behavior can occur prior to or simultaneously with understanding of oneself, and that behavioral changes may well lead to an increased level of self-understanding. 
6. Assessment is on ongoing process of observation and self-monitoring that focusus on the current determinants of behavior, including identifying the problem and evaluating the change; assessment informs the treatment process.  Therapists also assess their clients' cultures as part of their social environments, including social support networks relating to target behaviors.
7. Behavioral treatment interventions are individually tailored to specific problems experienced by the client. Several therapy techniques may be used to treat an individual clinet's problems. An important question that serves as a guide for this choice is, "What treatment, by whom, is the most effective for this individual with that specifec problem and under which set of circumstances?".

  

Therapeutic Goals: According to Corey (2009), the general goals of behvior therapy are to increase personal choice and to create new conditions for learning. Assessment and treatment seem to go hand in hand, although a very formal assessment takes place at first to determene current behaviors that need to be changed. Assessment is measured continually throughout to see what goals are being met.  Behavior therapists conduct a thorough functional assessment to identify the maintaining conditons by systematically gathering information about situational antecedents (A), the dimensions of the problem behavior (B), and the conquences (C), of the problem. This is known as the ABC model, and the goal of a functional assessment of a clint's behavior is to understand the ABC sequence. This model of behavior suggests that behavior (B) is influenced by some particular events that precede it, call antecedents (A), and by certain events that follow it , called consequences (C) (Corey, 2009).

Corey (2009) includes some of the following techniques used:

• Progressive muscle relaxation- method of teaching people to cope with the stresses produced by daily life, aimed at muscle and mental relaxation. For more info see http://www.arthritistoday.org/treatments/alternative-therapies/mind-and-body/progressive-muscle-relaxation.php.
• Systematic Desensitization- based on the principles of classic conditioning, clients imagine successively more anxiety-arousing situations at the same time that they engage in a behavior that competes with anxiety. Gradually they should become less sensitive (desensitized) to the anxiety-arousing situation. For more information see http://www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html.
• In Vivo Exposure- involves client exposure to the actual anxiety-evoking events rather than simply imagining these situations. For further informations see http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Exposure-treatment.html.
• In Vivo flooding- consists of intense and prolonged exposure to the actual anxiety-producing stimuli. Remaining exposed to feared stimuli for a prolonged period without engaging in any anxiety-reducing behaviors allows the anxiety to decrease on its own. For further informations see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15993561.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing- is a form of exposure therapy that entails assessment and preparation, imaginal flooding, and congnitive restructuring in the treatment of individuals with traumatic memories. The treatment involves the use of rapid, rhythmic eye movements and other bilateral stimulation to treat clients who have experienced traumatic stress. For further information see http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/emdr-what-is-it.
• Social Skills training- is a broad category that deals with an individual's ability to interact effectively with others in various social situations; it is used to help clients develop and achieve skills in interpersonal competence. For further information see http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/therapyforsad/a/Social-Skills-Training-And-Social-Anxiety-Disorder.htm.
• Assertion training- one goal is to increase people's behavioral repertoire so that they can make the choice of whether to behave assertively in certain situations. For further information see http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9778.
• Self-Management- includes self-monitoring, self-reward, self-contracting, and stimulus control. For more informations see http://www.education.com/reference/article/teaching-social-skills-self-management/.
• Multimodal therapy:Clinical Behavior Therapy- is a comprehensive, systematic, holistic approach to behavior therapy developed by Arnold Lazarus. For further information see http://www.zurinstitute.com/multimodaltherapy.html.

Key Terms: Classical conditioning, Operant conditioning, social learning approach, Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), functional assessment (or behavioral analysis), ABC model, Antecedent events, Consequences, behavioral assessment interview, Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, extinction, punishment, positive punishment, negative punishment, Progressive muscle relaxation, Systematic Desensitization, Exposure therapy, In vivo flooding, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, Social skills training, assertion training, self-management, mulitmodal therapy, Acceptance, mindfullness.




The following video is from one of my favorite shows, it's a great example of Behavior Therapy.

 
(youtube,2009)


 

 

 

Resources

 

 

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (9 ed., pp. 137-171). Belmont, CA: BROOKS/COLE CENGAGE Learning.

 

 

(2013). Behavioral therapy & brain . (2013). [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.disabilitynews.org/2009/08/02/behavioral-therapy-for-those-with-disabilities/



 

 

(n.d.). B.f. skinner. [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://shawneewiggins.blogspot.com/

 

 

The big bang theory - sheldon trains penny [Web]. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4