The Benefits of Behavioural Therapy
Behavioural therapy involves modifying an individual’s behaviour through a variety of strategies. Some of these strategies include positive reinforcement, a common practice used by teachers and parents to help children learn new and more acceptable behaviour. Others involve contingency management, which involves creating a written contract that details rewards and penalties for achieving specific goals. The latter adds accountability, while modelling entails learning from observation. Positive role models help an individual modify their own behaviour.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps patients to improve their thoughts and behaviors by teaching them to control their environment. Cognitive therapy is also a useful short-term treatment option because it is less expensive than other forms of therapy. In addition, patients who have trouble affording psychotropic medications may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy. This article describes some of the benefits of CBT. Read on to learn more. Cognitive behavioral therapy: What is it? How can it help you?
CBT is a type of psychotherapy in which a client learns to recognize their distorted beliefs and to differentiate them from reality. The goal of cognitive therapy is to break the client’s cycle of thinking in irrational ways and to change the way they think. The therapist helps clients identify harmful thought patterns, such as over-generalizing or catastrophizing, so that they can begin to challenge those beliefs.
Aversion therapy
Aversion therapy is a form of behavioural psychology that works by creating an unpleasant stimulus for unwanted behaviors. Most commonly used for addictions, aversion therapy can produce negative side effects such as shame, anxiety and PTSD. It may be best used in certain cases, such as when an addiction has reoccurred. If it does not, aversion therapy is an excellent choice for overcoming addiction. Listed below are some ways it can be used.
Aversion therapy involves the use of physical stimuli, such as electric shocks, pinches, and smacks. Patients are encouraged to administer the aversive stimuli themselves. One controversial method involves the use of electric shocks. This type of shock is known as Faradic stimulation, and is unbearably painful, but is not dangerous. The pain from an electric shock is felt by the patient, so it may have a damaging psychological effect.
Systematic desensitization
Systematic desensitization in behaviour treatment involves slowly exposing the patient to the object they fear. The therapist first asks the patient to create a fear hierarchy. For example, a picture of a snake might be rated five out of ten, while the actual sight of a snake crawling on one’s neck might be one hundred. The therapist then presents the photo to the patient, who then learns how to relax.
This type of therapy has been shown to be highly effective, especially in treating compulsions. For example, one study showed that a young man with urine fear underwent systematic desensitization therapy. He would spend 45 minutes cleaning his genitalia after urinating, two hours washing his hands, and up to four hours in the shower. To cure his fear, Wolpe placed him in a state of relaxation and encouraged him to imagine a situation with low anxiety.
Interpersonal engagement
There are three basic steps in the process of inter-personal engagement in behaviour therapy. Participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire before coming to the lab, which included socio-demographic questions and a series of questions on interpersonal engagement. Then, they were exposed to one of five experimental conditions. Each condition was designed to modify an aspect of the therapist’s interpersonal profile. The researchers found that each condition increased the clients’ satisfaction, decreased their drop-out risk, and improved the therapeutic alliance.
A reduced sample of participants (N = 47) was analyzed to identify the most satisfying therapist. The Warm therapist was rated as the most satisfying, followed by the Dominant therapist and the Submissive therapist. In addition, warm clients were more likely to be satisfied with their initial session with the dominant therapist and the submissive therapist, which were similar to one another. The results of this study provide additional evidence for theories of inter and intrapersonal engagement.
Systemic desensitization
If you suffer from intense fear or anxiety, you may want to consider a therapist who specializes in systematic desensitization. A therapist will be able to explain this method to you and help you overcome your fears. Systematic desensitization is a valuable tool in the treatment of anxiety and other phobias. Moreover, this therapy can be combined with other approaches in therapy, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Behavioural therapy for systemic phobias involves gradually exposing a person to an image or situation that triggers the phobia. There are different methods to complete exposure therapy, but in general, systematic desensitization is a form of exposure therapy. It is similar to EMDR, but without reprocessing, which is the process of re-experiencing a traumatic event.