systematic desensitisation - treatment for phobias

Question 1

what is systematic desensitisation? P1, A01

Answer 1

systematic desensitisation is a form of exposure therapy
it is a behavioural therapy which is designed to gradually reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of classical conditioning
systematic desensitisation involves habituation and reciprocal inhibition

Question 2

study evidence for systematic desensitisation - P1, A03

Answer 2

one strength of using systematic desensitisation for treating phobias is that there is study evidence support to show that it reduces phobias
Capfons et al tested the effectiveness of systematic desensitisation for the treatment of a phobia of a fear of flying
the participants were given a course of 12-15 one hour treatment sessions
90% of the participants all showed significant improvement in their phobic responses to a fear of flying compared to the control group
therefore, this study evidence shows that the use of systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias works to reduce phobias and can be used effectively as 90% of Capfons participants improved following treatment

Question 2

what does systematic desensitisation involve? - P2, A01

Answer 2

Habituation which means to get used to something and being continually exposed to a stimulus will eventually lead to not responding to that stimulus
reciprocal inhibition which is when you can’t experience two conflicting emotions at the same time e.g., anxious and relaxed
this process happens step by step and either in vivo (real object exposure) or in vitro (imaginary exposure)

Question 3

weakness of systematic desensitisation, not suitable for all - P2, A03

Answer 3

one weakness of systematic desensitisation is that although it is effective for most phobias and clients, it may not be effective in all cases
for example, clients with multiple phobias or other symptoms linked to a history of trauma (e.g., childhood abuse) may benefit from different therapies that allow them to explore their experiences or alter thought patterns as well as changing behavioural symptoms
systematic desensitisation only really tackles behavioural; symptoms
therefore, for a minority of clients, systematic desensitisation is probably not the most appropriate or successful way t treat their phobia

Question 4

procedure of systematic desensitisation - P3, A01

Answer 4

1. the first step is functional analysis.
   during this stage, the client and therapist discuss and identify the nature of the anxiety and the triggers which lead to the feelings of anxiety and phobic response
2. the second step is anxiety hierachy.
   during this stage, the client and the therapist create a ranked list of anxiety provoking situations.
   the therapy will move as fast as the clients want which will therefore show full client input
3. the third step is relaxation training
   during this stage the client and therapists develop techniques which will reduce the fear response such as deep breathing
4. the fijnal stage of systematci desensitisation is gradual exposure
   this is where the client is exposed to the phobic stimulus when they are in a relaxed state
   this starts at the bottom of the hierachy of exposure time and gradually increases when the client can remain relaxed in the presence of the stimulus

Question 5

weakness of systematic desensitisation - P3, A03

Answer 5

one weakness of systematic desensitisation as a treatment for phobias is that it is not practical in terms of duration of therapy time
the therapy is slow which means that it will take several sessions which makes it a very expensive form of treatment
the clients are required to do ‘homework’ between sessions - this is required in order to ensure that the treatment is effective
therefore, this means that systematic desensitisation as a therapy for phobias is not practical as it takes several sessions and clients to carry out homework in order to be successfulu

Question 6

COUNTER ARGUMENT TO weakness of systematic desensitisation - P3, A03

Answer 6

However, due to the nature of the therapy and taking it at the clients pace it is very ethical
the therapy is slow and the client has full control and power over the speed at which the treatment progresses
compared to other treatments used for phobias, such as flooding, systematic desensitisation is carried out a slower and more gentle pace which could make it more effective for certain types of clients undergoing therapy
therefore, this means that despite systematic desensitisation not being fully practical, it is very ethical and will allow clients to go at there own pace which may make the treatment overall more successful as it is in the clients hands to decide when they want to move onto the next stage as they know when they are feeling fully relaxed with the presence of the phobic stimuli