Introduction and Techniques of Behavioural therapy.

1. BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
By: SHIVNETRI CHAUHAN
(Rama college of nursing)

2. INTRODUCTION
Behavioural therapy is an umbrella term
for types of therapy that treat mental
health disorders.This form of therapy
seeks to identify and help to change
potentially self destructive and unhealthy
behaviour.

3. DEFINITION
"It is a form of treatment for problems in
which a trained person deliberately
establishes a professional relationship
with the client , with objective of
removing or modifying existing symptoms
and promoting positive personality ,
growth and development."

4. ASSUMPTIONS :
 All behaviours are learned.
 Human beings are passive organisms that can
be conditioned and shaped to do anything if
they are rewarded or reinforced.
 Maladaptive behaviour can be unlearned and
replaced by adaptive behaviour if person is
being reinforced for that desired behaviour.

5. TECHNIQUES:
 Systemic Desensitisation.
 Flooding
 Aversion therapy
 Operant conditioning procedures for increasing
adaptive behaviour.
 Operant conditioning procedures for teaching
new behaviour.
 Operant conditioning procedures for decreasing
maladaptive behaviour.

6. 1. Systemic Desensitisation
It consists of 3 main steps:
 Relaxation training
There are many methods for inducing
relaxation such as -
 Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation.
 Hypnosis
 Mediation or yoga.
 Mental imagery.
 Biofeedback.

7.  Hierarchy Construction
Here tha patient is asked to list all the
conditions which provokes anxiety .Then he
is asked to list all of them in descending
order of anxiety provocation.

8.  Desensitisation of stimulus
 This can be either done in reality or through
imagination.
 At first, the lowest item in hierarchy is
confronted. The patient is advised to signal
whenever anxiety is produced.With each
signal is asked to relax .
 After a few trails the patient is able to
control his anxiety gradually.

9. 2. FLOODING
 The patient is directly exposed to the phobic
stimulus and the escape is made impossible.
 By prolonged contact with the phobic
stimulus,the therapist guidance and
encouragement and his modelling behaviour
reduces anxiety.

10. 3.Aversion Therapy
 Pairing of the pleasant stimulus with an
unpleasant response so that even in the
absence of the unpleasant response the
pleasant stimulus becomes unpleasant by
association.
 Punishment is presented immediately after a
specific behaviour response and the
response is eventually inhibited.

11. 4. Operant conditioning procedures for
increasing adaptive behaviour.
 Positive Reinforcement
When a behavioural response is followed by a
generally rewarding event such as food , praise,
or gifts the it tends to be strengthened and
occurs more frequently.

12.  Token economy
This program involves giving token awards for
appropriate or desire behaviour performed by
patient .This token can be later exchanged for
rewards.

13. 5. Operant conditioning procedures for
teaching new behaviour.
 Modeling
 Modeling is a method of teaching by
demonstration wherein the therapist shows
how a specific behaviour is to be
performed.
 In modeling the patient observes another
patient indulging in target behaviour and
getting rewards.

14.  Chaining
 It is used when person is failed to perform
simple tasks.
 The task is broken into small steps and each
step is taught to the patient .
 In forward chaining one starts from first step
and so on.
 In backward chaining one starts with the last
step and goes on to the first.

15. 6 . Operant conditioning procedures for
decreasing maladaptive behaviour.
 Extinction/Ignoring
 Extinction means removal of inattention
rewards permanently following a problem
behaviour.
 This includes actions like not looking at the
patient or having ni physical contact with
the patient. This is usually used when
patient is showing odd behavior.

16.  Punishment
 Aversive stimulus (punishment) is
presented upon the undesirable
behaviour.
 The punishment procedures should be
administered immediately and
consistently following undesirable
behaviour.

17.  Timeout
 It includes removing the patient from
the reward or the reward from the
patient for a particular period of time
following a problem behaviour.
 This is used in case of childhood
problems.

18.  Restitution
 Restitution means restoring the
disturbed situation to a state that is
much better than what it was before
the occurrence of problem behaviour.

19.  Response Cost
 This procedure is used with the
individuals who are on token programs
for teaching adaptive behaviour.
 When undesirable behaviour occur , a
fixed no. Of token are deducted from
their earned token.

20. Homework is an essential component of
behavior therapy. Homework affords patients
the opportunity to be their own therapists
and to solidify the learning that took place
during sessions.
CONCLUSION