Behavioral Therapy Flashcards
Behavioral Therapy: Theoretical Foundations
Behaviors of psycho. problems develop through the same laws of learning that influence the development of other behaviors – normal and abnormal behaviors can be explained by the same learning processes.
(problems as reflections of how learning has influenced people to behave in particular situations)
–> Based largely on classical and operant conditioning, and observational learning.
–> built around a general learning model
Behavioral Therapy: Observational Learning
Aka vicarious conditioning
– people can learn behavior by watching others and observing what happens as a result.
Example: Bandura and ‘Bobo Doll’ - children who watched adult be rewarded after aggressing the doll were more aggressive when placed in the room with the doll.
Behavioral Therapy Assessment
Info about problem behaviors, environment where problem behaviors occur, reinforcers and consequences that maintain behaviors.
–>use a FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS - narrowly focused on relevant problem behaviors and integrated with goals.
–> may also use some quantitative assessments like structured interviews, obj. psycho tests, behavioral rating forms..
Behavioral Therapy: Role of the Therapist *
Client-therapist relationship provides context where specific techniques can operate to create change..
-Active and directive
Goals of Behavior Therapy
Modify maladaptive behaviors as well as cogntiions, physical changes, and enos that accompany them.
- no need to explore early childhood, unconscious processes etc. - **don’t need to know how the behavior originated, just know how its being maintained and how it can change. **
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Relaxation Training
Progressive Relaxation Training (PRT) - used with anxiety
- -> tense then release groups of muslces and focus on sensations of relaxation that follow.
- -> through practice learn to relax themselves and lower arousal.
–Effective for: hypertension, headache, insomnia, negative chemotherapy effects.
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Systematic Desensitization
(SD) - for anxiety; based on the idea of RECIPROCAL INHIBITION
- -> can be used with phobias:
- First teach progressive relaxation training
- -then create a graduated hierarchy of situations that the client finds increasingly anxiety provoking.
- –then begin desensitization: imagine an item at the bottom of hierarchy (if anxiety occurs, stop and allow client to restart)
- —present the same item until it no longer creates distress (even after longer presentations)
- —-Complete when client can imagine all items calmly
Can be very effective for phobias, but maybe less so for clients with more complex symptoms like panic disorder or OCD (direct exposure might be better for those guys)
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Exposure and Response Prevention
Direct exposure to frightening stimuli and allow anxiety to occur until (because no harm comes) it extinguishes.
–> Exposure shouldn’t be terminated while client is still anxious because it would reinforce avoidance behavior.
‘Flooding’- ppl who are afraid of dirt or infection could be asked to spend a long tim touching items they fear are ‘contaminated’.
Effective for OCD - Exposure with Response Prevention: client not allowed to perform compulsive rituals that they normally use to reduce anxiety (to make stimuli less anxiety provoking)
Effective for Agoraphobia and panic attacks that precede. and bulimia binge craving.
MOST EFFECTIVE when –
- -> exposure is predictable by putting the intensity and duration of it under the clients control
- -> you encourage client to tolerate longer and more intense exposure (within range)
- ->exposures are spaced closer together
- ->you vary the kinds of exposures (diff snakes)
- ->you expose in diff contexts
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Virtual Reality Exposure
Sometimes exploding clients to real situations (heights or highways) can be difficult, expensive, or too risky.
- can alter context where exposure takes place
- also has been used in substance abuse to reduce responsiveness to external cues/triggers of craving.
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Social Skills Training
Many techniques designed to treat deficits in social skills that are necessary for relationships and social reinforcers.. and just normal lives..
– how to shake hands, eye contact, engage in conversation
–Assertiveness training - teach clients to appropriately express themselves and eliminate cognitive obstacles to clear self-expression; teach ‘refusal skills’
-Popular in schizophrenia treatment and depression.
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Modeling
Have client observe live or videotaped models fearlessly or successfully performing behaviors the client avoids.
–>participant modeling = client first watches and then gradually makes contact with the feared object or situation under controlled circumstances.
Learning through modeling can be more efficient than through direct reinforcement or punishment.
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Behavioral Activation and Behavioral Rehearsal
Help clients recognize their fear and avoidance of change, and help them engage in more positive/adaptive behavior.
– use graded task assignments to make complex behavioral tasks easier and produce less anxiety.
– assignments can be acted out in the clients own environment, but if they aren’t ready, can be rehearsed in therapy –> ‘behavioral rehearsal’ –> therapist and client role play situations to help fine tune approaches, anticipate others reactions, and prepare responses for various scenarios.
Behavioral Clinical Applications: Aversion Therapy and Punishment
Learning based where painful/unpleasant stimuli are used to decrease the probability of unwanted behaviors (drug abuse, overeating, sexual practices).
