Behavioral therapy is based in very fundamental understandings of human learning and behavior. Although human behavior and thought can be extremely complicated, it is surprising that it can be effectively influenced by using rewards and punishments to encourage or discourage behaviors. The key to developing effective behavioral interventions is by correctly identifying a specific behavior and the rewards and reinforcements that are associated with it. Some mental disorders that behavioral therapy is effective in treating include oppositional defiant disorder, specific phobias, and panic disorder.
Unfortunately, people naturally react to different stimuli in what they think are effective ways of addressing stimuli, but they may be unknowingly reinforcing negative or maladaptive behaviors. For example, if a child is throwing a tantrum, parents will likely discipline their child and expect the child to stop their tantrum. They assume that the child stopped because of their discipline. However, children with disruptive behavioral disorders will continue to act out. This is because there’s a misunderstanding of how to effectively discouraging disruptive behaviors. Discipline in the form of yelling or expressing anger or frustration may actually be encouraging this behavior as a means for children to obtain the parent’s attention.
Instead of responding in this way, if parents ignore disruptive behaviors of their children, while praising and engaging with their children when they do positive behaviors, they will more effectively discourage disruptive behaviors while encouraging positive ones.
Behavioral therapies can also be effectively used to treat phobias through gradual exposure. By slowly introducing the client to the stimuli that they are afraid of, they can learn that their fears and beliefs about the stimuli are illogical. Additionally, by being exposed to the stimuli, they may feel uncomfortable and have unpleasant symptoms, but they will be able to realize that the negative symptoms are not unbearable and no cataclysmic result comes from the symptoms or the stimuli itself. This behavioral experience allows for the irrational fear from the phobia to gradually disappear.
MENTAL HEALTH CARE 101 