PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS: CBT / SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION

Question 1

PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS: CBT

• Before CBT: Exposed to a fear stimulus will create negative automatic thoughts. this leads to emotional distress and biological responses (fight-flight response)
• Before CBT: Altering behaviour when they encounter the fear stimulus
• C = Cognitive
• B = Behavioural
• T = Therapy

= Effective treatment for specific phobias

• CBT techniques

Answer 1

• Challenging automatic behaviours
• A type of psychotherapy. helps people change unhelpful or unhealthy thought processes, feelings and behaviours
• Knowledge and information to. overcome irrational thinking and replace it with reasonable, realistic thinking
• Behavioural = Modifying unhelpful behaviours such as avoidance

CBT techniques

• Relaxation training
• Flooding
• Imaginal flooding

Question 2

PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS: SYSTEMATIC DESENSITISATION

- Based on the concept of reciprocal inhibition = using one emotional state to block another

Answer 2

• Known as graduated exposure
• Using principle of CC to COUNTER-CONDITION association between CS and CR
  1. Client is trained to use deep relaxation
  2. The therapist helps the client build a fear HIERARCHY (least anxiety inducing to most anxiety inducing)
  3. The client works through the hierarchy. This process is repeated until counter-conditioning has taken place
  = Now associates the feared object with relaxation.