We all have behaviors that we\u2019d like to change; for example, you might want to exercise more, drink less alcohol, or get to sleep at a more reasonable time. To get support in changing these behaviors, you can turn to a behavioral therapist. But just what is a behavioral therapist and what do they do? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we dive into where behavioral therapy came from, what behavioral therapy is, how effective it is, and how a behavioral therapist can help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Klarity Health can connect you with a licensed behavioral therapist who can help you start working on problem behaviors right away. You can hand-pick a therapist<\/a> that meets your needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapy is a broad category of therapies and therapy techniques that work to help people change unwanted or unhealthy behaviors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapy came out of the principles of behaviorism, which focused on the relationship between environment and behavior. In the 1950s, psychologists like B.F. Skinner,<\/a> the father of behaviorism, first researched how learning theories, like operant conditioning (reinforcing behaviors through punishment and reward), could be applied to helping people change their behaviors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, behavioral therapists use many different techniques, not only reward, and punishment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A therapist is someone skilled in and who provides therapy. A behavioral therapist may also be called a behavioral counselor or behavior therapist and is a practitioner who is skilled and provides behavioral therapy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike other types of therapists, such as cognitive therapists or psychoanalysts, behavior therapists focus on actions rather than thoughts or emotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While psychotherapists help you reflect on and deal with your past experiences or mental illness, behavioral therapists help you set a goal for changing a specific behavior and work with you on the steps, and\/or techniques, needed to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By helping you change your behaviors, a behavioral therapist helps you feel better about yourself and overcome your unwanted or destructive behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapists work with people with a wide range of mental and physical health problems to help them stop those unwanted or unhealthy behaviors<\/p>\n\n\n\n A behavioral therapist can help you if there\u2019s any behavior pattern in your life that you\u2019d like to change. You might work with a behavioral therapist if you have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapists use many different techniques, or a mix of techniques, to help patients change behaviors, including the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With self-monitoring, a behavioral therapist encourages you to monitor your own behavior and how it makes you feel. They might guide you to keep a log or a journal, so you can start to see patterns between your actions and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, self-monitoring might help you see that you feel more depressed every time you drink alcohol. Or, you might realize you feel less anxious when you see your friends instead of giving in to your fears and staying at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you recognize the link between your behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, it\u2019s easier to make changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Systematic desensitization<\/a> is a behavioral therapy technique that helps people with severe fears or phobias. In systematic desensitization, a behavioral therapist helps you intentionally expose yourself to the things you fear, little by little. Every time you expose yourself to these fears, your therapist will help you use stress management techniques to decrease your anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea is that the more you expose yourself to your fears and train yourself to relax, the less anxious you\u2019ll feel when you come across the things that trigger your phobia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A technique many mental health professionals use is to teach relaxation techniques. Stress, especially chronic stress, can trigger unwanted behaviors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapists may teach evidence-based relaxation strategies, like progressive muscle relaxation<\/a>, to let you consciously reduce your stress levels as a way to change behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve ever experienced depression, you know that it can quickly become a vicious cycle. You feel depressed, so you isolate yourself. Or perhaps you sleep too much, eat too much, or stop exercising. It\u2019s understandable to not want to do these things when depression is all-consuming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when we stop practicing these healthy habits, depression tends to get worse. This can create a negative loop that\u2019s difficult to get out of \u2014 you don\u2019t want to socialize because you\u2019re depressed, but not socializing makes you more depressed, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral activation<\/a> is a technique that behavioral therapists use to help you do the things that make you happier, even when \u2014 perhaps especially<\/em> when \u2014 you don\u2019t feel like doing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, behavioral therapists focus on helping you learn new skills, so you can build better habits. Often, we simply aren\u2019t equipped with the tools to cope well with life\u2019s hardships. Conditions like ADHD and depression can also affect the way your brain functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapists use skills training to fill in these gaps. For example, if you live with ADHD, they might teach you skills like time management, task prioritization, and organizational skills. If you live with social anxiety, they might help you practice social interactions and teach you healthy communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapists typically use the aversion technique with people who struggle with substance use or other addictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Through aversion therapy, behavioral therapists help you train your mind to associate addictive behaviors with an unpleasant stimulus. For example, they might help you associate drinking with nausea and vomiting. This can reduce your desire to drink, which can help you overcome your substance use disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behavioral therapy is a broad umbrella term, with many different therapy methods falling under this umbrella. Originally, behavioral therapy focused on rewards and punishments (operant conditioning). Today, behavioral therapy involves more complex methods and is typically used with cognitive therapy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the most common types of behavioral therapy used today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have heard of cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT. This is a therapy method that combines behavioral therapy with cognitive therapy \u2014 a therapy method that helps people change unhelpful thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea behind CBT is that our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings are deeply connected. By changing both our thoughts and behaviors, we can start feeling better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you might do poorly on a project. Your first thought might be, \u201cI\u2019m a failure.\u201d This thought might make you withdraw from people at work or drink too much at happy hour. These behaviors, in turn, make you feel worse about yourself (and often make the actual situation worse, too).<\/p>\n\n\n\n CBT helps you identify and change unhelpful thoughts that arise when you\u2019re faced with triggers. If you can change these thoughts, then you can change your behaviors and how you feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CBT Is One of the most effective forms of therapy for ADHD and other mental and physical health concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dialectical behavior therapy<\/a>, or DBT, was originally created to help people who struggled with suicidal thoughts and behaviors and individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The behavioral therapy component of DBT teaches techniques you can use to cope with painful moments in life. Instead of lashing out (at yourself or others), DBT teaches you how to use skills like healthy distractions and mindfulness to cope in healthier ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exposure and response prevention<\/a>, or ERP, is a specific type of behavioral therapy that\u2019s mostly used to help people with OCD, although it can be helpful for people with anxiety disorders (like specific phobias) as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ERP helps people with OCD tolerate scary intrusive thoughts without giving in to their compulsions. This can help them get better and better at coping with and avoiding, OCD behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Applied behavior analysis<\/a>, commonly known as ABA, is a type of behavioral therapy often used with children, especially those with autism. ABA helps children learn skills based on the principles of operant conditioning; positive behaviors are reinforced through rewards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research shows that behavioral therapy, especially CBT, is effective in treating a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Behavioral Therapy and Where Did It Come From?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is a Behavioral Therapist?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Does a Behavioral Therapist Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Techniques Do Behavioral Therapists Use? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Self-Monitoring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Systematic Desensitization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Relaxation Techniques<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Behavioral Activation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Skills Training<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Aversion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Types of Behavioral Therapy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dialectical Behavior Therapy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Exposure and Response Prevention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Applied Behavior Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Does Behavioral Therapy Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n