Discussion Prompt 1: Behavioral Change Plans (must be min. of 150 words)
Both cognitive and behavioral therapy approaches require the therapist and client to work toward change within the therapeutic relationship. Guidance from the therapist is necessary, as are action oriented plans with a focus on the client completing tasks and/or homework assignments geared toward changing behavior.
Assignment
This week, imagine you are the therapist working with the client in the case scenario below. Using either a cognitive or behavioral therapy approach, create a behavioral plan or therapy program for assisting the client in making behavioral change. Your plan or program should focus on either reconditioning the client’s behavior (behavior therapy approach) or reconditioning the client’s cognitive thoughts and/or responses to certain events (cognitive therapy approach). Remember to assess both conscious and unconscious thoughts if utilizing the cognitive therapy approach. Your plan may require some extra research to determine effective interventions.
Respond to at least two classmates this week and engage in a discussion regarding the expected results of each classmate’s outlined plan or program.
Case Scenario:
Anika originally came to see you due to increasing anxiety over work related issues and ultimately her fear of losing her job. She has met with you for several sessions now and has agreed that her fears regarding job loss are often unfounded. Anika has identified, however, recent company policy changes that are contributing to her anxiety. Within these policy changes, the company has started to discuss changes to the healthcare coverage policy. These changes would cause an increase in premiums for any employee who does not pass the tobacco screening.
Anika currently smokes and expresses apprehension about the change as she cannot afford to pay an extra premium each month. Anika is able to identify that this issue has caused great stress as she enjoys taking smoke breaks with her coworkers both to socialize and network with peers and to have an excuse to take a break each day. Anika states some important conversations occur during smoke breaks and she feels she may miss out on information and/or relationships that may be necessary for advancement if she were to quit smoking.
Ultimately, Anika does express the desire to quit smoking but is unsure how.
Discussion Prompt 2: Is behavior a choice? (must be min. of 150 words)
You may remember from your psychology coursework the work of Pavlov and Skinner in classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Behavior therapy is based upon this work and may utilize positive and negative reinforcement, punishment and/or desensitization to create a goal-oriented change in a client.
With this information in mind, prepare a response to the following quotation by answering the questions that follow.
According to your textbook, Skinner believed: All behavior is not only lawful, in the sense of following observable stimulus-response sequences, it is determined… human behavior occurs in response to forces acting on the person. Choice has nothing to do with it, any more than billiard balls “choose” to move around the table. (Perry, 2008, p. 154)
Assignment
Develop an argument as to whether you agree or disagree with Skinner’s belief. What evidence or “proof” do you have to support your argument? How does your response align with what you know about a believer’s relationship with God and His will for our lives? Behavior therapy is based in part on the work of Skinner. If Skinner was wrong, is there a place in counseling for behavior therapy? Why or why not?
Be sure to “prove” your response with outside research and collateral sources. Any content used in your post that was derived from another source should be appropriately cited using APA formatting.
Engage in discussion this week with at least two classmates. Discuss with each other any posted information with which you disagree or that may appear contradictory to your own post.
References
McConnell, C.R. (2015). Basic Counseling Techniques: A Beginning Therapist’s Tool Kit (Second Edition). (2nd ed.) Wayne Perry Author House: Bloomington, IN.
- ISBN: 978-1-4343-5524-9
- Basic Counseling Techniques
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
