Behavioural Therapy Case Study

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Treatment Report, Behavioural Approach to Therapy Jenny was referred to Dr. Williams, a practicing behavioural psychologist in Fredericton, by the University of New Brunswick’s counselling services. Jenny currently had chronic depression, anxiety, and a bulimia eating disorder. Dr. Williams is a therapist that specializes in behavioural therapy, therefore, he will perform his assessment and treatment in this manner.
Ethical Dilemmas As Jenny goes through therapy, several ethical dilemmas may appear. Jenny has revealed she has previously performed self-mutilation on herself, and exhibits suicidal ideation. Dr. Williams will have to take special care to not let Jenny cause harm to herself, he will inform her before she signs her consent form …show more content…

This is done by setting measurable short-term and long-term goals and performing a functional behaviour analysis. A functional behaviour analysis helps the therapist find out the antecedent, what occurred before the behaviour, and the consequence of a concerning behaviour. In Jenny’s sessions, Dr. Williams will tackle her depression and bulimia, with success in these behaviours she can do transfer of training, which is having improvements spread to other untargeted areas (like her anxiety). Behaviour therapy also has an active style, clients not only talk but they do things, from helping the therapist plan goal that fit their preferences to carrying these plans into the natural environment. Homework is a common feature in behaviour therapy that will ensure Jenny will adhere to her desired behaviours and extinguish (get rid of) her undesired behaviours. Due to behaviour therapy having specific goals and an active style with hours outside of the session integrated, it is considered a brief therapy. It is cost efficient and short-term with an upper limit of 25 sessions. Dr. Williams will seek to assist Jenny in meeting her measurable short-term and long-term goals within these sessions and hopefully have Jenny change her unwanted behaviours by the send of her