child and adolescent counseling chapter 8

Chapter ObjectivesAfter reading this chapter, you should be able to: •Outline the development of behavioral theory •Explain the theory of behavioral counseling •Discuss the counseling

Chapter 8

Behavioral Counseling

W hen all else fails, I become a behaviorist.

How ard Gardner

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 

•Outline the development of behavioral theory

•Explain the theory of behavioral counseling

•Discuss the counseling relationship and goals in behavioral counseling

•Describe assessment, process, and techniques

•Demonstrate some therapeutic techniques

•Clarify the effectiveness of behavioral counseling

B.F Skinner

Academic background:

• studied literature at Hamilton College

(considered himself a failure)

• entered Harvard to study psychology

• master’s in 1930 and PhD in experimental psychology in 1931

by Pressey 1923)

B.F Skinner

He summed his work by saying that the point he tried to make is that it can be demonstrated that people choose behavior based on

anticipated consequences

Nature of People

• People are essentially born neutral with equal potential for good or evil and for rationality or irrationality

• Behaviorists view people as responders and products of conditioning

• Things that happen to children influence and change them as biological beings

Nature of People

Stimulus-response paradigm:

• people react in predictable ways to any

given stimulus according to what they have learned through experience

• Behavior is learned and can be unlearned

• Behavioral counselor concerned with this unlearning or re-education process.

• Operant behavior – behavior that operates on and changes the environment

• Positive reinforcement – a rewarding reinforcement

• Negative reinforcement – reinforcing by stopping

In short, help clients determine ways to modify problems in living

• Focus is on the present and the future

• Complaints translated into goals of behavioral

changes

• Behavior is broken into its parts

• Treatment tailored to the problem of this

individual

Behavior Analysis

A - Antecedent (stimulus)

B - Behavior (what is said or done)

C - Consequence (result of behavior)

Behavior Analysis

1 Identify problem category

• Performing a task or dealing with people

2 Identify problem type

• Being unable or being unwilling

3 Determine cause of problem

• Lack of knowledge, obstacle or refusal

4 Select appropriate solution

Schedules of Reinforcement

Continuous reinforcement

• Reinforce each successful response

• Best when first learning a new behavior

• Switch to one of four intermittent schedules

Schedules of Reinforcement

• Fixed ratio schedule

o Reinforcement rate is fixed at the same rate

o Piecework in a factory an example

• Variable ratio schedule

o Schedule of reinforcement varies

o Playing slot machines an example

Counseling Goals

• Ultimate goal is to teach clients to be own counselors by changing their behavior to

better meet their needs

• After the problem has been identified and change agreed on, variety of procedures

help client acquire the behaviors necessary

to solve the problem

• Goal = overt change

Counseling Methods

• Match reinforcement to development and reward preference

• Set up a contract with child

• Contract language must be simplified for understanding and the goals

should be clear with few steps

Counseling Methods

Contingency Contract

1 Counselor and client identify

problem

2 Counselor collects baseline data

3 Counselor and client set mutually

acceptable goals

Counseling Methods

Contingency Contract

4 Counselor develops plan for target

behavior and reinforcement

5 Counselor evaluates plan for

changes in behavior

6 If plan is not effective, repeat #4

Counseling Methods

Self-Management

• Take responsibility for own behavior

• Follow step-by-step process: define problem, collect data, introduce

treatment, evaluate effectiveness, change program if not working

Counseling Methods

Shaping

• Induce new behaviors by reinforcing behaviors that are approximations of the desired behavior

• Counselor looks for desired behavior, waits until it occurs, and reinforces it when it does occur

Counseling Methods

Biofeedback

• A machine reads body temperature,

brain waves, heart rate, blood

pressure, etc

• Machine: looks-waits-reinforces

• Small changes in behavior (like

tension decrease) can be fed back to

Counseling Methods

Modeling

• Expose client to individuals exhibiting the target behavior

• Teaching children voluntary behaviors

through observation and replication of

desired behaviors

• Modeling and shaping could be done in combination for younger children

Classical Conditioning

Methods

1 Neutral stimulus is paired with another

stimulus

2 After repeated pairing of stimuli

3 Then neutral stimulus elicits same

response as other stimulus

Classical Conditioning

Methods

Systematic Desensitization

• A response incompatible with anxiety and/or fear

is paired with weak and then progressively

stronger anxiety-provoking stimuli

• Reciprocal inhibition – an organism cannot make two contradictory responses at the same time

• Based on counter-conditioning

• Relaxation exercises may be a part of this method

Classical Conditioning

Methods

• Hypnosis

• deeper forms of relaxation

• use with caution and only after appropriate training