LeeHighSchool

BehavioralTherapy
FinalDraft

LissetteFelipe
BrianCahoon
SeniorCapstone
April12,2016

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LissetteFelipe
BrianCahoon
SeniorCapstone
March21,2016
EffectivenessofBehavioralTherapy

AccordingtoKristeenCherney,Behavioraltherapyisatreatmentthathelpschange

potentiallyselfdestructingbehaviors
.
Behavioraltherapistsdealwithtonsofpersonalityand
mentaldisorders.Thedisordersthatbehavioraltherapistincludes,posttraumaticstressdisorders.
PTSDisamentalhealthconditionthat'striggeredbyaterrifyingevent(Mayoclinic.org).
Behavioraltherapistsimprovethelivesofthesepatientsbybeingattentivelisteners,
reservingjudgementatalltimesandbyteachingtheirpatientshowtocopewiththeir
problemsontheirown.
Talkingtoothersincluding,friendsandfamilyisnevereasy.Becauseofthispeopletend
tokeepallthesefeelingsandthoughtstothemselves,andthathasmanydownsides.Suppressing
whatyoufee
lcauseslotsofunnecessarytension,andstresswhichmaylaterleadtog
reaterrisks.
Peoplethatsufferfromposttraumaticstressdisordertendtohaveaveryproblematicti
me
discussingtheirfeelingsbecausethesepatientshavepossiblydealtwithchildabuse,rapeand
havingbeeninwar,andtheywouldrathertrytoforgetaboutthesefeelings,butthisisnotgood
fortheirwellbeing.Manypeoplemightthink,whydonttheyjustgetoverit?Butthisisntas
easyasitsounds.Peoplethatsufferfromposttraumaticstressdisordertendtohaveveryvivid
flashback,anditisntsomethingthatcanbeshutoff.Becauseoftheseexperiencestheyve
had,ittriggerscertainpartsofthebrain.Thepartsofthebrainthatposttraumaticstressdisorder

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triggersisthehippocampus,theamygdala,andventromedialprefrontalcortex.(Wlassoff)The
hippocampusiswhereindividualscanstoretheirnewmemories.ThiseffectsPTSDbecausethey
arenotabletodistinguishbetweenrecentandoldmemories.Thiscausesthemtohavean
extremestressresponsewhenevertheyareinasituationthatremotelyremindsthemofaplace
thatcausedthemtobetraumatised
.AnexampleusedbyWlassoffwaswhenavictimofsexual
assaultentersapackingtheyareterrifiedbecauseofthefactthatitremindsthemofwhenthey
wererapedinasimilarplace.Therearemanywaysthatabehavioraltherapistcanhelptheir
patientsthatsufferfromposttraumaticstressdisorderandotherdisorders.
Thefirststepwhenenteringtherapyitisimportantforthepatienttobeabletoopenupto
theirtherapisttobeabletoidentifythepatientsproblem.Manymightbeabitiffyaboutpouring
alltheirthoughtsandfeelingstoacompletestrangerbecausetheyfeelasiftheyaregoingtobe
secretlyjudged.Thishowever,isnotthecase,forthetherapist,itisveryimportantalwaysbeto
transparent.Transparencymeanslettingitpassthroughthemthisincludesanytypeofpersonal
bias(Formica).Posttraumaticstressdisorderisverycommonamongveteransreturningfrom
war.Imaginehavingthemshareallthehorriblethingstheywentthroughinwarandthetherapist
reactingtoeverythingnotinagoodmanner.Forexample,sayingOhmygodIcannotbelieve
howyouwentthroughallthis.Thisisnotgoingtohelpthepatientatalltheyaregoingtofeel
evenworse,likethatwasaroughthinghavethemthinkingthattheyarenotgoingtobeableto
getthroughtheseexperiencestheyhavebeenthrough.Sotherapistsshouldalwayssimplylisten
totheirpatientsandtheirproblemswithoutanyreactions,whetheritbeverbalorphysically
shownthroughyourfacebecausepatientsshouldnotfeelasiftheyarebeingjudgedwhenthey
gotoatherapistandsharetheirfeelings(RavenDrumFoundation,2015).Afterthetherapisthas

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attentivelylistened,theyshouldidentifywhatthepatientisstuckonandfindwhatstrategyis
goingtohelpbesttheirpatient.ForPTSD,therearemanyformsoftreatment.Forexample,
musclerelaxationwhichisveryusefulbecausewhenyourbodyisphysicallyrelaxed,itcauses
patientsnottofeelthestressoranxietyanylonger(HealthwiseStaff).Also,anotherformof
treatmentformanydisordersisjustteachingpatientshowtobemorepositivethinkinginevery
situation.Anexampleofthisiswhenapersonisontheroad,andanotherpersoncutsthemoff,
thiswillcausethemtobeinabadmood,however,iftheyweretochangetheirwayofthinking
andsimplystopandthinkHmm..maybetheywererushingtothehospitalthiswillleavethem
feelingbetter.Orifawarveteranisterrifiedofgoingtoanystorebecausethatiswherethe
bombinghappenedthatleftthemtraumatisedatherapisthastohelpthemdealwiththat,
reassuringthatnothingisgoingtohappenandthattheyaresafe.Soiftheyareout,andtheystart
tohaveanxietythepatienthastoremindthemselvesthattheyaresafeandhavepositivethoughts
atalltimes.Thisiseffectivebecausethepatientistaughttocopewiththeiranxietyandstresson
theirown.Thereisalsogrouptherapywhichisveryeffectivebecauseithelpspeopleconnect
andfeelliketheyarentalonebecausetheyaretalkingtopeoplethatareinsimilarsituations.
Manypeoplemightbelievebehavioraltherapyhasnoeffectonaperson,bothgoodor
bad.Butstatisticsshowthatanestimatedaboutofeighteenthroughtwentytwoveteranscommit
suicideeachdayduetolackoftreatment(NAMI).AccordingtotheNationalCenterforPTSD,
researchershaveexaminedCognitiveBehavioralTherapyandtheyfoundthatpatientswho
receivethistreatmenthavemuchbetteroutcomesthanpeoplethatreceiveothertreatments
(2013).Sessionsandtreatmentswithpatientshelpsdecreasedepressionandanxietycausedby
PTSD.

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Inconclusion,behavioraltherapyisextremelyefficientinmanymentaldisorders
includingposttraumaticstressdisorders.Behavioraltherapistcanimprovethelivesoftheir
patientsbybeingattentivelisteners,beteachingtheirpatientshowtocopewiththeirproblems
andbyreservingjudgementatalltimes.Itsunderstandablethatexpressingonesselfisnot
easy,butsuppressingfeelingsisntgoodforaperson'shealth.Therapyhasbeenproventobe
oneofthemosteffectivetreatments.

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NationalCenterforPTSD.UnderstandingPTSDTreatmentN.p.,August2013.18April2016