Behavior Therapy
Foundations and Application
Historical background

Emerged in 1950s
 Stemmed from scientific empiricism
 Pavlov (classical conditioning)
 Skinner (operant conditioning)
 Bandura (Social Learning Theory)
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
 Focuses on observable behavior, effect of
environment on behavior, learning
experiences, and assessment
Classical conditioning (Pavlov)

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Pavlov’s theories were based on his
work with salivating dogs.
 For more info:
http://nobelprize.org/educational_g
ames/medicine/pavlov/readmore.ht
ml
John Watson & “Little Albert”
Ethical?????
Please check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hB
fnXACsOI
Mowrer and Mowrer (1938):
Bedwetting
Operant Conditioning (also known as
“instrumental conditioning”)

Whereas Classical Conditioning focuses
on the antecedents of behavior, Operant
Conditioning focuses on antecedents AND
consequences of behavior.
 B.F. Skinner is the “guru” of this theory:
 Early work by Thorndike bridged the gap
between CC and OC
Social Learning Theory
(Albert Bandura, et. al)

Social learning theories focus on the study
of covert behaviors such as physiological
responses, thinking, and feeling.
 Cognitive-behavioral theories began to
consider both covert and overt behaviors
 The story of “Peter”
Bandura (1960’s) proposed
and emphasized:

the role of thoughts
and images in social
and psychological
functioning
 a triadic, reciprocal
relationship between
environment,
personal factors, and
behavioral actions.

Key to learning is
observation
 The self-system (triad)
regulates behavior
 Concept of selfefficacy,
accomplishing tasks,
belief that one can
succeed
Current Status of Behavior
Therapy

Has been applied to a great number of
areas (business, hospital, athletic
performance, education, etc.)

Association for Advancement of Behavior
Therapy (4000+ members)
Behavior Therapy: Basic Characteristics

Based on principles of the
scientific method
(systematic, specific)
 Deals with the client’s
current problems (not
past)
 Clients must engage in
specific actions to change
behavior.
 Goal-setting & modeling
are key tasks

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Counseling is largely
educational and occurs in
client’s environment.
Procedures are tailored to
client’s needs (personal)
Collaborative partnership
between client & therapist
Behavior Therapy: Major Concepts

Positive Reinforcement (widely used)
 Extinction (also punishment)
 Generalization - when behavior is reinforced, it
may generalize to other behavior
 Discrimination - The ability to react differently,
depending upon the stimulus condition that is
presented (e.g., traffic lights)
View of human nature

Internal locus of control
 Product of environment
 Therapy looks to increase freedom to
improve life situations
Basic assumptions

Scientific method
 Focus on present problems
 Client is active
 Self management
 Assessing problems and change
 Self-management
 Practical interventions
Goals

Client defines goals
 Determine behavioral changes
 Therapist constantly monitors
 Therapist is active, directive, and problem
solver
 Relationship important primarily to
influence compliance with tasks
Techniques and interventions

Positive reinforcement
 Negative reinforcement
 Extinction
 Punishment
 Generalization
 Scaling
 Relaxation training
 Modeling
Behavioral Techniques:
Modeling

Five functions of basic
modeling:
teaching, prompting, motivating,
reducing anxiety, and
discouraging.
 Live modeling
 Symbolic modeling (e.g.,
videos, films, photos, etc.)

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Role playing
Participant modeling:
therapist models, then has
patient follow
Covert modeling: using
imagination to visualize a
behavior
Often used to rehearse
“assertiveness” skills
Techniques, continued…

Systematic desensitization
 In vivo
 Flooding
 EMDR
 Assertion training
 Self-management (self reward, self
monitoring, self control, setting goals)
Behavioral Techniques:
Systematic Desensitization
1. Teach client relaxation
responses
2. Events that make the
client anxious are
assessed and arranged by
degree of anxiety (SUDs)
3. Have client imagine
anxiety-evoking situations
while being relaxed.
4. Repeat in a gradual
manner so that relaxation
is paired with anxietyprovoking event.
Client is “systematically”
desensitized to situations
that created anxiety.
Behavioral Techniques:
In Vivo Therapies
Occurs in client’s actual environment
 May be gradual (SD) or direct (flooding)
 Anytime client becomes tense, relaxation procedures are
performed.
 Advance from one step to the other occurs when client is
comfortable.
 Client will progress to performing behavior on his/her own

Self-Management & Self-Directed
Behavior

Select a goal
 Translate goal into target behavior
 Self-monitor (e.g. behavior diary)
 Work out a plan for change
 Self-reinforce
 Self-contract
 Evaluate the plan
Multimodal therapy (Lazarus)

Technical eclecticism
 BASIC ID
 Breadth more important than depth
(Corey, 2005)
 Teaches skills, coping, and flexibility
BT & Multicultural Issues


As an action approach, is
consistent with meeting
needs of culturally diverse
populations
Cross-cultural knowledge
is helpful in understanding
behavior.
Suggestions:
1. Counselor should be
aware of culture-specific
ideas of what constitutes
deviant behavior
2. Knowledge of cultural
roles is useful; consider
what is culturally
appropriate to reinforce
Positives

Concrete and structured
 Focused on change
 Emphasizes research based approaches
 Many techniques
 Suited to short term
 Effective with anxiety disorders
Critiques

Limited focus on feelings
 Relational factors
 No insight
 Only treats symptoms
 Issues of power and control