1. Behavior Therapy Dr. Arra PSY 202

2. Behavior Therapy THEORETICAL BACKGROUND • Based on principles of classical and operant conditioning • Social learning theory • Albert Ellis: Rational Emotive Behavior therapy • Beck: Cognitive therapy

3. Behavior Therapy • Donald Meichenbaum: cogntive-behavioral modification • Stress inoculation and self-instructional training • Popular in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s • Grounded in scientific view of human behavior

4. Behavior Therapy • Based on the principles and procedures of the scientific method • Interventions are monitored/managed over time • Conclusions are made based on what is observed rather than what one thinks • Treatment goals are stated in concrete and objective terms

5. Behavior Therapy • Interventions are monitored and frequently revised • Therapy deals with client’s current problems and the factors influencing them • Does not deal with historical determinants • Clients are expected to be active • Clients ‘do something’ to bring about a change: engage in new behaviors

6. Behavior Therapy • Therapy is carried out in the client’s natural environment • Clients monitor their behavior outside of sessions, learn coping skills, role-playing • Learning new behaviors is the core of the therapy • Skills include self-management, monitoring, reinforcing, punishing, overcorrection…..

7. Behavior Therapy • Interventions tailored to fit individual needs • Therapy is a collaboration between therapist and client • Constantly measuring, graphing: frequency, intensity, duration of behaviors • Brief number of sessions • Several behavioral techniques are often combined in a treatment package to increase efficacy of tx

8. Behavior Therapy GOALS OF THERAPY • Client specifies positive changes that he/she wants from counseling • Focus on what client wants to do rather than what client does not want to do • Client has ownership of goals • Client and counselor see if goals are realistic

9. Behavior Therapy • Define the goals in concrete terms; target behaviors • Discuss behaviors associated with the goals; antecedents and consequences • A plan of action to work towards the goals

10. Behavior Therapy THERAPIST ROLE AND FUNCTION • Get information about antecedents, dimensions of the problem, and consequences • Clarify the problem • Design a target behavior • Formulate goals with client

11. Behavior Therapy • Identify maintaining conditions • Implement a change plan/intervention • Evaluate the intervention; formative and summative

12. Behavior Therapy CLIENTS EXPERIENCE • Client is aware and participants in the therapeutic process • Engage in modeling, role-playing, rehearsal • Completes homework assignments • Client completes assignments both in and out of therapy sessions

13. Behavior Therapy • Work to generalize behaviors • Need to be willing to make changes and continue to implement new behaviors once treatment has ended

14. Behavior Therapy THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES • Behavioral Assessment: look at target behavior in terms of antecedents and consequences, frequency-intensity-duration • Use tests, scales, checklists, and graphs to determine if intervention is working • Ongoing process

15. Behavior Therapy • Systematic desensitization, relaxation training, assertion training, self-management training, biofeedback, meditation, in vivo, flooding, EMDR • Brief vs. long-term therapy

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

17. 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

18. Behavior Therapy • Therapists use empirically supported techniques • Treatment is as brief as possible

19. 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

20. Behavior Therapy • Behavior therapy does not provide insight • Behavior therapists treat symptoms rather than causes • Therapy involves control and manipulation by the therapist