Behavior Therapy

1
Behavior Therapy

• Theory and Practice

2
Historical Background

• A reaction to psychoanalytic approach began in
  the 1940s, although behavioral theory began
  developing earlier in the 1900s, with Watson.
• B.F. Skinner was the father of radical
  behaviorism, in which the focus was solely on
  behavior, never on cognition.

3
Historical Background (continued)

• In the 1960s, Bandura, Ellis, and Beck added the
  idea of cognitions, creating more
  cognitive-behavioral approaches.
• Now, behavioral approaches are routinely used,
  especially to treat certain problems, such as
  anxiety problems and panic disorders.

4
Classical Conditioning

• Initially, an unconditioned stimulus (ucs)
  produces an uncondd response (ucr)elicited
  automatically, like salivation.
• Ucs is repeatedly paired with a conditioned
  stimulus (like a bell, light, etc.), until the
  conditioned stimulus produces the conditioned
  response (what was previously the ucr).

5
Operant Conditioning

• Reinforcement is anything that follows a given
  behavior that makes that behavior more likely to
  reoccur. Punishment is anything that makes the
  behavior less likely to reoccur.
• Positive reinforcement vs. negative
  reinforcement, positive punishment vs. negative
  punishment.

6
Basic Characteristics

• Based on scientific method principles are
  observable.
• Focus only on current problems.
• Clients are active, do something.
• Self-control.

• Carried out in natural environment if possible,
  homework, etc.
• Tailored to the clients needs.
• Collaborative partnership.

7
Goals of Therapy

• Goals are very important, and clients helps
  formulate and specify them from the outset.
• Client and therapist frame goals in a positive
  sense, decide whether goals are realistic, and
  then how to work toward them.

8
Therapists Role

• Therapists very active in behavioral therapy.
• Obtain systematic information about the target
  behavior.
• Implement plan and help client work toward it.

• Therapist also serves as role model for client.
• Relationship is important in that client must
  trust in order to follow plan.
• Technique-driven approach.

9
Techniques

• Behavior therapy has a number of manualized or
  step-by-step approaches to certain common
  problems.
• Remember, anything that is proven to change
  behavior is fair-game for use in behavior therapy.

10
Relaxation Training

• Relaxation training takes a number of forms,
  including meditation, guided imagery, and
  progressive muscle relaxation.
• Clients learn relaxation during session, but must
  practice at home on a regular basis.

11
Exposure Systematic Desensitization

• A procedure developed for use with anxiety and
  phobias.
• Therapist teaches client progressive relaxation,
  then they develop an anxiety hierarchy.
  Desensitization involves working up the anxiety
  hierarchy, using relaxation to lessen anxiety at
  each level.

12
Exposure Other Therapies

• In Vivo Systematic Desensitization Clients are
  exposed to the actual feared situation, rather
  than just imagining it. These exposures are
  brief and graduated.
• Flooding Exposure which occurs for a prolonged
  period of time. Note, this prevents the negative
  reinforcement that avoidance provides.

13
EMDR

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is
  a behavioral technique developed by Francine
  Shapiro.
• Cl. identifies a target traumatic memory, then
  therapist moves fingers back and forth in front
  of cl.s eyes, cl. tracks fingers while
  concentrating on distressing memory.

14
EMDR (continued)

• Shapiro and her followers made great claims
  regarding the success of EMDR.
• Later, controlled studies have suggested that
  EMDR is less effective in treating PTSD than a
  cognitive-behavioral treatment. Also no
  convincing evidence that the eye-movement is
  necessary exposure component probably crucial.

15
Functional Behavioral Assessment

• A way to address problem behavior, often used in
  educational settings with violent or otherwise
  acting-out students.
• Looking at the function or purpose of the
  behavior.

16
Functional Behavioral Assessment

• Identify the problem behavior, in concrete terms.
• Can be indirect assessment or direct assessment.
• Then, the data is analyzed and a hypothesis made.

• May be a skill deficit, a motivation/ performance
  problem, etc.
• Goals and specific objectives are set, and
  skills, modification, or supports developed.

17
Limitations and Criticisms

• Changes behavior, but not necessarily thoughts or
  feelings.
• Does not provide client insight into their
  behavior.

• Treats symptoms, not the underlying causes.
• May not be helpful for certain types of problems.