The basis of this therapeutic approach is rooted in behaviorism, emphasizing the impact of the environment, stimuli, and experiences on an individual's behavior and cognition. Behavioral therapy posits that functional disturbances stem from conditioned responses to stimuli. As such, therapy focuses on understanding and modifying these learned behaviors to alleviate neurotic tendencies, negative reactions to specific stimuli, and disturbances in self-perception or worldview.
Notably, behavioral therapy prioritizes the “here and now” and future-oriented perspectives, foregoing exploration of subconscious mental processes and past traumas. It can be integrated into a patient's treatment regimen alongside medication or administered as a standalone therapeutic modality.
Behavioral therapy
has three primary goals:
They are achieved through mutual trust and building a motivation system for the patient.
During behavioral therapy, irrespective of the specific disorder under treatment, the process can be delineated into four distinct phases:
There are various types of behavioral therapy, and the choice of treatment depends on factors such as the specific condition being treated and the severity of the symptoms.
Behavioral therapy is effective in treating most mental health problems. However, it is particularly effective in the following cases:
Behavioral therapy is used in the treatment of various phobias (including social phobia) and even some addictions.
Behavioral therapy is typically a short-term treatment lasting from 6 weeks to six months, unlike psychodynamic therapy, which can extend over several years. In behavioral therapy, sessions usually occur twice weekly and last about 30-60 minutes, focusing on four key aspects.
First, the therapist identifies the specific issue the patient needs to address. Then, they examine the patient's thought process in the given situation. They explore the emotions, feelings, and associations triggered by the stimulus or situation that lead to the patient's specific reaction. All of these factors contribute to the final pattern of behavior in response to the particular stimulus.
This specific reaction can create difficulties in the patient's life and functioning. For instance, in the case of an eating disorder like bulimia, the patient may have a distorted body image and experience binge eating episodes followed by purging. Various stimuli, such as stressful situations or body image issues, may trigger this reaction. Behavioral therapy helps analyze the connections between the patient's emotions and actions, creating awareness of their thought processes and ultimately facilitating control over destructive behaviors, such as panic attacks.
Behavioral therapy utilizes the Socratic dialogue method, wherein the therapist asks the patient questions that lead them to conclude their tendencies and behaviors.
The disadvantage of behavioral therapy is that it does not focus on the cause of fear occurrence; it only allows them to be controlled, and it should be only a component of the patient's entire therapy and not the only solution to their problems.
Behavioral therapy is intended to develop self-awareness and self-control of behaviors in the patient. This will allow them to avoid negative and life-inconvenient behaviors associated with disorders and prevent relapses of disorders, improving the patient's quality of life.
To comprehend behavioral therapy's workings, it's crucial to grasp the fundamental principles underpinning this approach. The methods employed in this treatment form stem from classical and operant conditioning theories.
Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov made a groundbreaking discovery while researching digestion. He studied salivation at the individual stages of digestion. He noticed that dogs salivated at the sight of their assistants feeding them or at the bowls into which food was being placed—without the food in their mouths yet (i.e., it was as if it was the first stage of digestion).
Just before they brought the food into the room where the dogs were staying, a tuning fork made a sound. The sound appeared first, then the food, and after several repetitions, the specialist observed the dog salivating at the sound of the tuning fork.
The unconditioned stimulus, i.e., one whose meaning is biologically determined, is the food in the dog's mouth (it triggers a salivation response – automatic, regardless of previous learning). The unconditioned response is the secretion of saliva under the influence of food in the mouth. It is a reflex, automatic reaction triggered by the unconditioned stimulus.
The neutral stimulus is the sound of a tuning fork. Initially, it meant nothing, but after the sound was combined with food in the mouth, the stimulus changed its meaning – it became a conditioned stimulus. The neutral stimulus provided with information became conditioned by repeatedly combining it with the unconditioned stimulus.
A conditioned response is the secretion of saliva by dogs under the influence of sound (i.e., in response to the conditioned stimulus). Conditioned responses can be based on all unconditioned responses. Humans also condition themselves on them. Through classical conditioning, individuals learn to predict significant environmental events (e.g., food or pain) and prepare for them.
Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus is associated with a stimulus causing reflexive behavior, which means that over time it becomes sufficient to trigger this behavior.
The basis of operant conditioning is reinforcement—a process whose consequences increase the possibility of a reaction occurring again. Positive reinforcements increase the probability of a future occurrence of the response after which they occur. Examples of these include food or praise. Negative reinforcements appear when an unpleasant event or situation is avoided due to behavior, increasing the probability of future behavior, provided they are removed from the situation.
When a rat is subjected to electric shocks, which it can avoid by pressing a lever, pressing the lever is negatively reinforced. Larger reinforcements lead to faster learning than smaller ones. Immediate reinforcements are more effective than delayed ones—short-term consequences of behavior are, therefore, stronger reinforcements than long-term consequences.
Positive and negative reinforcements are essential in a teacher's work. Positive and negative reinforcements are described as reinforcing because they increase the probability of repeating a given behavior.
Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment. Punishments are unpleasant events that reduce the frequency of behaviors that precede them. Punishments can quickly reduce undesirable behavior and are justified in many situations. However, many theorists argue that we should avoid punishment in education in favor of rewards. Rewards increase the frequency of a given behavior; many psychologists believe that reward and positive reinforcement mean the same thing.
For most patients, the first visit to a psychotherapist is a source of shame, anxiety, and doubt. It is unnecessary. Taking care of good mental health and using professional help should not be a reason to feel unpleasant emotions. Fear of the unknown is often irrational, based on stereotypes and caricatures we see in the media. For many people, psychotherapy itself and the state of one's mental health are still taboo.
The vast majority of patients expect to sit or lie down on a couch, and the psychotherapist will listen to them, only nodding. However, a specialist is not there to give subjective good advice. The nature of the therapy they conduct depends mainly on the psychotherapeutic trend they follow during their work.
Depending on the patient's needs and preferences, the therapist selects appropriate methods they use later. The first meeting with a patient is usually an opportunity to make a preliminary diagnosis and explore the issues the patient is struggling with.
Choosing a psychotherapist is not worth being guided only by mundane issues. The availability of offices is so large that you can find a specialist suitable for you in almost every residence or its vicinity. The price range is also a matter of individual choice, which is not very wide in some regions of the country.
However, it is worth checking in detail the education, competence, and experience of the therapist. The methods and tools they use in their work are also important. Verification allows for therapeutic success—then, the first visit to a psychotherapist is a good start to effective therapy.
It is worth asking the psychotherapist or looking for information about what school they graduated from and viewing their certificates. Currently, most therapists post this type of data on their websites.
During the first conversation, the specialist will also determine what psychotherapy trends they follow during meetings. Some allow for quick cooperation in specific difficulties, while others require time and reflection on the part of both the patient and the therapist.
Before we visit a therapist, it is worth asking ourselves what problems and difficulties we struggle with daily. Many people believe that their issues are not complex and significant enough to be discussed with a specialist. However, psychotherapy is not a shame—no topics are too trivial.
The first visit to a psychotherapist does not assume a priori involvement in therapy and the need to continue it. It is a consultation during which the therapist assesses the possibilities and necessity of conducting therapy. The therapist approaches each patient individually. If necessary, they also suggest consultation with other specialists—a psychiatrist, a sexologist, and sometimes even a neurologist.
During the consultation, the psychotherapist can start the conversation. Ultimately, however, the meeting is not a monologue of the patient. The therapist enters into a lively discussion with the therapist, can ask questions, and comment on observations. During the first meeting, the psychotherapist asks the patient about the main reason for the visit and expectations. Personal issues, experiences, feelings, and emotions are also important to the therapist.
Almost every detail from the patient's life can be an essential element of the psychotherapeutic “puzzle.” After the initial conversation and the decision on the need for further cooperation, the terms of the psychotherapeutic contract are usually established. The contract usually establishes the frequency and length of therapy sessions, the cost and forms of payment, the rules for canceling meetings, and the main goals of the therapy.
Psychotherapy usually lasts at least several months. It can be longer, especially if the patient is looking for an answer to a complicated question, such as where depression comes from. However, if the patient is dealing with difficulties of a lesser nature, their therapy may end after a dozen or so weeks.
The rules of the first consultations are simple. You do not need to prepare for the visit in any way. Treat the first meeting with the psychotherapist as an orientation and check-up visit. The patient can be sure that during the consultation, they will gain the right amount of time to discuss all the significant topics from their point of view. As a patient, you must be prepared for the therapist's questions. They will try to understand your point of view and the history of the difficulties they are currently struggling with. Writing down a few situations that put us in a bad mood is worth it.
There is no room for understatements during psychotherapy. That is why it is worth being guided primarily by honesty during the conversation. Only through honesty and trust can the specialist reach the source of the patient's difficulties and propose appropriate ways to overcome them. Talking about one's life and problems does not come easily to everyone. However, the therapist always encourages the story, even if it deepens in small steps. The psychotherapist should actively listen to the patient and ask questions that often turn out to be helpful in the process of diagnosing their mental health.
Table of Contents
Amnesia is a memory disorder whose symptom is memory gaps. Why does this disorder occur? What is the diagnosis and… read more »
Psychotherapy, is a treatment method used to help individuals with a wide range of mental health conditions and emotional challenges. read more »
A psychotherapist is a trained professional who treats mental and emotional disorders through therapy. read more »
Substance abuse refers to the harmful or hazardous use of substances, such as alcohol, drugs, or other chemicals, for non-medical… read more »
Dissociative identity disorder Ii is characterized by the presence of at least two independent and different personalities in one person.… read more »
Stress can be defined as the body's response to events that disturb its balance, burden it, or exceed our ability… read more »
A psychologist studies mental processes and behavior by observing and interpreting how people interact with their environment and each other. read more »
Aphasia is the loss of language abilities in various areas – understanding speech, pronouncing logical sentences, naming objects. What are… read more »
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses. read more »
