How behavior therapy works?

“Behavioral therapy” really describes a group of techniques that are employed to create desired behavior changes. Behavior therapy draws from behaviorism, which is rooted in the idea that we learn behaviors from our environments. Behavior therapy identifies a problem associated with a specific behavior and works to teach a new behavior to change or stop the existing problem.

Some behavior therapies are:

• Cognitive behavior therapy or CBT which also factors in thinking or cognitive parts of problems, and aims to identify thoughts that may be underneath problematic behaviors.
• Applied behavior analysis or ABA focuses on rewarding behaviors to modify behavior.
• Dialectical behavior therapy or DBT uses CBT and focuses on emotional management and helping people improve the way that certain behaviors impact their daily lives and relationships.
• Rational emotive behavior therapy or REBT identifies negative thoughts and helps people to challenge them, and replace them with more rational ones.
• Exposure therapy, which is more of a technique than approach. People are exposed in a patterned and planned way to an object that is associated with a fear response or some other undesired behavior. Overtime, for many people, the response changes.

Each of these types of therapy draws on some basic principles of behaviorism. Operant conditioning is used to increase or decrease the likelihood of a particular behavior by following the behavior with a reward or punishment. Classical conditioning is another means of changing behavior. It works by pairing a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that causes an automatic response. Over time, the neutral stimulus begins to cause the automatic response.

Behavior therapy in some form is a popular method of treatment for many problems, including:

• Anxiety
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Anorexia and Bulimia
• Panic attack disorder
• Specific phobias

The outcome of any type of behavioral therapy or its techniques is dependent on a variety of factors. There are always unique circumstances in play including individual characteristics, diagnosis, and presentation of specific symptoms. One of the most important factors in any type of therapy is the therapeutic alliance or relationship between the therapist and client, which means that finding a therapist you click with is likely just as important or more important than the specific techniques or type of therapy employed.

If you’re experiencing issues and researching methods of change or behavior change, behavior therapy may be right for you. Talk with a licensed therapist to find out if behavior therapy is right for you.