Behavioral Therapy
Overview
Behavioral therapy, also known as behavior therapy, is a broad term referring to clinical psychotherapy that uses techniques derived from behaviorism and/or cognitive psychology. It looks at specific, learned behaviors and how the environment, or other people's mental states, influences those behaviors, and consists of a number of therapeutic approaches that strive to identify and help change potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors.
History
Behavioral therapy has its origins in the early 20th century, with the work of psychologists such as Pavlov and Watson, who focused on observable behaviors rather than the unconscious mind. This approach was further developed by Skinner, who introduced the concept of operant conditioning, a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior.
Types of Behavioral Therapy
There are several types of behavioral therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. It is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addiction, depression, and anxiety.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a type of CBT that teaches behavioral skills to help handle stress, manage emotions, and improve relationships with others. It was originally developed to treat people with borderline personality disorder but has since been adapted for other conditions where the patient exhibits self-destructive behavior, such as eating disorders and substance abuse.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
ABA is a type of therapy that focuses on improving specific behaviors, such as social skills, communication, reading, and adaptive learning skills. It is often used in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Techniques
Behavioral therapy uses a variety of techniques to bring about behavior change. These include conditioning, biofeedback, aversion therapy, and desensitization.
Conditioning
Conditioning involves learning to associate a stimulus that initially does not elicit a particular response with another stimulus that does. This technique is often used in the treatment of phobias.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a technique that teaches the patient to control certain bodily processes that normally occur involuntarily, such as heart rate or blood pressure. This can be helpful in managing conditions such as anxiety and stress.
Aversion Therapy
Aversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment in which the patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort. This conditioning is intended to cause the patient to associate the stimulus with unpleasant sensations in order to stop the specific behavior.
Desensitization
Desensitization, or systematic desensitization, is a type of behavioral therapy used to help effectively overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders. It involves the patient being exposed to the anxiety source or its context without the intention to cause danger. Doing so is thought to help them overcome their anxiety or distress.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of behavioral therapy varies, depending on the individual and the specific issue they are dealing with. However, research has shown that behavioral therapy can be very effective in treating certain disorders, such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.