Behaviour Therapy Behavior Therapies Therapy that applies learning

Behaviour Therapy

Behavior Therapies • Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors. • The behaviors are the problems- so we must change the behaviors.

Behavior Therapy • Basic Assumptions – Overt behavior holds primacy – Maladaptive behavior is learned in the same way as adaptive behavior – Assessment and evaluation is key – Treatment is active, directive and collaborative

Behavior Therapy • • • • Based on the principles and procedures of the scientific method Learning new behaviors is the core of therapy Interventions tailored to fit individual needs Therapy deals with client’s current problems and the factors influencing them Does not deal with historical determinants Treatment goals are stated in concrete and objective terms Conclusions are made based on what is observed Therapy is a collaboration between therapist and client Clients are expected to be active Clients ‘do something’ to bring about a change: engage in new behaviors Interventions are monitored and frequently revised Clients monitor their behavior outside of sessions, learn coping skills, roleplaying Several behavioral techniques are often combined in a treatment package to increase efficacy of treatment

Behavior Therapy • Behavior therapy does not provide insight • Behavior therapists treat symptoms rather than causes • Therapy involves control and manipulation by therapist • Therapists use empirically supported techniques • Treatment is as brief as possible

Behavior Therapy • Therapists are willing to examine the effectiveness of their procedures in terms of generalizability and durability of change • Therapists are ethical in their practice • Clients have control and freedom • Clients can monitor and manage their interventions

1. Theory And Paradigm Bases 1. Conditioning paradigm – “experiences & action” S R Two subclasses Classical conditioning Operant conditioning 2. Cognitive-behavioural paradigm – “internal representation” S---O---R 7

Behavior therapies • Therapeutic approaches that are based on the belief that all behavior, normal and abnormal, is learned, and that the objective of therapy is to teach people new, more satisfying ways of behaving.

Systematic desensitization • A behavioral technique for reducing a person’s fear and anxiety by gradually associating a new response with stimuli that have been causing the fear and anxiety.

Systematic Desensitization • A type of counterconditioning that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxietytriggering stimuli. How would I use systematic desensitization to reduce my fear of old women?

Systematic Desensitization Progressive Relaxation Exposure Therapy Flooding

Aversive conditioning • Behavioral therapy techniques aimed at eliminating undesirable behavior patterns by teaching the person to associate them with pain and discomfort.

Aversive Conditioning • A type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior. How would putting poop on the fingernails of a nail biter effect their behavior?

Aversive Conditioning

Contingency Management • Psychopathology – Behavior controlled by CONSEQUENCES • Reinforcement/Punishment – Excesses, deficits, inappropriateness • Therapeutic Process – Various forms of control procedures – Functional Analysis – A-B-C

6 Steps of Effective Contingency Management 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. State problem in behavioral terms Identify behavioral objectives Take baseline measures Conduct naturalistic observations Modify existing contingencies Monitor the results

Behavior contracting • Form of operant conditioning therapy in which the client and therapist set behavioral goals and agree on reinforcements that the client will receive on reaching those goals.

Token economy • An operant conditioning therapy in which people earn tokens for desired behaviors and exchange them for desired items or privileges.

Operant Conditioning Token Economy: an operant conditioning procedure that rewards a desired behavior. A patient exchanges a token of some sort, earned for exhibiting the desired behavior, for various privileges or treats.

Modeling • A behavior therapy in which the person learns desired behaviors by watching others perform those behaviors.

• Shaping: Gradually reinforcing certain parts of a behavior to more closely approximate the desired behavior Chaining method Backward chaining Forward chaining

Behavior Therapy CONTRIBUTIONS • Wide variety of techniques available • Therapy stresses ‘doing’ • Techniques have been extended to more areas of human functioning than any otherapeutic approach • Emphasis on research into and assessment of treatment outcomes

Behavior Therapy LIMITATIONS OF BEHAVIOR THERAPY • Behavior therapy may change behaviors, but it does not change feelings • Does not deal with the emotional process as fully as other approaches • Relationship between client and therapist is discounted