Behavioral Therapist

Psychotherapy, Behavioral therapy is a treatment that helps change potentially self-destructing behaviors. It is also called behavioral modification or cognitive behavioral therapy. Medical professionals use this type of therapy to replace bad habits with good ones. The therapy also helps you cope with difficult situations. It is most often used to treat anxiety disorders. However, you don’t have to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder to benefit.[1]

As its name suggests, behavioural therapy is focused on human behaviour and looks to eradicate unwanted or maladaptive behaviour. Typically this type of therapy is used for those with behavioural problems or mental health conditions that involve unwanted behaviour. Examples of this include addictions, anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Practitioners of behavioural therapy believe that behaviour is learned and can therefore be un-learned via therapy. As well as the behaviour itself, behavioural therapists will look at thoughts and feelings that lead to the behaviour or occur as a result of the behaviour to understand it on a deeper level. There are certain issues that respond particularly well to this type of therapy as well as the associated integrated forms, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

What is behavioural therapy?

Behavioural therapy is an action-based therapy that looks to foster positive behaviour change. Other therapies such as psychoanalytic therapy tend to be more focused on insight and delving into the past. In behavioural therapy, the past is still important as it often reveals where and when the unwanted behaviour was learned, however it looks more so at present behaviour and ways in which it can be rectified.

The premise behind behavioural therapy is that behaviour can be both learned and un-learned. The goal is to help the individual learn new, positive behaviours which will minimise or eliminate the issue. There are various ways this can be done depending on the problem itself. The main disciplines of behavioural therapy are:

Applied behaviour analysis – Where behaviour change is instigated using operant and/or classical conditioning and positive reinforcement.

Cognitive behaviour therapy – An integrative therapy that combines elements of behavioural therapy with cognitive therapy.

Social learning theory – A theory that revolves around the nature of imitation and learning.[2]

 Sources; [1] [2]