1. Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3rd Edition Chapter 8: Behavioral Counseling
Mario De La Garza, M.Ed., and
Janice Miner Holden, Ed.D.
University of North Texas

2. Historical Context Three “waves”:
1st: Classical and operant conditioning
2nd: mid-1960s-1980s Cognitive revolution
3rd: 1990s-present Mindfulness therapy

3. Philosophical Underpinnings: 1st wave
Evolutionary continuity
Animal behavior identical to human behavior
Reductionism
Dismantling behavior into its smallest components
Determinism
Behavior caused by current environmental contingencies
Empiricism
Emphasis on the observable, testable, measurable

4. Philosophical Underpinnings: 2nd wave
Evolutionary continuity
Human language and instrumentality qualitatively different than those of other animals
Reductionism
Dismantling behaviors and thoughts into components
Determinism
Reciprocal between environment and behavior
Empiricism
Perceptions and expectations about environmental contingencies and self-efficacy more predictive than actual contingencies and self-efficacy

5. Philosophical Underpinnings: 3rd wave
Uncertain how mindfulness relates philosophically to the first two waves

6. Philosophical Underpinnings: Common to All Three Waves
Four themes:
Scientific approach
Depathologizing of clients and their problems
Emphasis on role of learning in behavior
Activity: Both counselors and clients do in addition to talk
Three characteristics:
Present-focused
Individually tailored treatment packages characterized by step-wise progression
Treatment follows a stepwise progression
Brief

7. Nature of Humans: Function of the Psyche
At birth, all individuals have the capacity to learn behavior.
Beginning in early infancy, innate, biologically based tendencies influence how a someone attends to, interprets, encodes, and selectively remembers environmental phenomena.

8. Nature of Humans: Structure of the Psyche
Personality: The sum total of a person’s behaviors – actions and cognitions – including:
Innate, involuntary overt actions
Acquired/learned overt actions, both involuntary and voluntary
Covert actions/cognitions/emotions: sensory images and word thoughts

9. Role of the Environment
Behaviors are learned through experiences in the environment.
Learning: a relatively permanent observable change in behavior that results from experience or practice
ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence): Current behavior is the result of events occurring before and after the behavior.

10. Operant Conditioning Voluntary behaviors first occur through:
Random or accidental emission
Trial and error
Imitation

11. Operant Conditioning
Once a voluntary behavior occurs for the first time, the subsequent presence, absence, strength, and frequency of the behavior is the result of:
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Extinction
Punishment

12. Operant Conditioning
Effects an Effects a increase in decrease in behavior behavior Involves pleasure positive extinction reinforcement Involves pain negative punishment reinforcement

13. Operant Conditioning Schedule of reinforcement Spontaneous recovery
Continuous
Regular intermittent
Interval
Ratio
Irregular intermittent
Spontaneous recovery
Generalization
Discrimination

14. Classical Conditioning
Each individual is born with some involuntary responses to environmental stimuli.
In classical conditioning, individuals learn to emit those involuntary responses to new environmental conditions.

15. Classical Conditioning
The process begins with an unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus that elicits an unconditioned (unlearned) response:
unconditioned
response
unconditioned
stimulus
startle/
anxiety
crash of
thunder

16. Classical Conditioning
When a stimulus that does not naturally elicit the response occurs with or just before the unconditioned stimulus…
conditioned unconditioned unconditioned
stimulus stimulus response
flash of crash of startle/
lightning thunder anxiety

17. Classical Conditioning
…the new (conditioned) stimulus will elicit a conditioned response similar to the unconditioned response, even in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus:
conditioned unconditioned unconditioned
stimulus stimulus response
conditioned
response
flash of crash of startle /
lightning thunder anxiety

18. Relationship of Operant and Classical Conditioning
Almost any observable behavior a person emits has both operant and classical conditioning components.

19. Familial versus Extrafamilial Environments
Behaviorists acknowledge the impact of the family as the first environment an individual experiences.
Behaviorists are most concerned with a person’s current environment and how it is influencing one’s current behavior.

20. Unhealthy Functioning
Problems in living
Failure to learn behaviors that yield more pleasure/reinforcement than pain
Having learned behaviors that result in only intermittent pleasure/reinforcement and in substantial pain

21. Healthy Functioning Painlessness Competency in problem-solving
Ability to obtain reinforcement:
At least a 5:1 ratio of pleasant: unpleasant experiences?
Behaviors that promote physical health
Optimism, hope, self-esteem, and confidence, life satisfaction

22. Personality Change Process
Change environment ↓
Change behavior
Corrective learning experiences

23. Client’s Role Client (and counselor) determine goals of counseling.
Client assists in determining strategies to achieve goals.
Client is responsible for following recommended process.
Client keeps counselor informed of behavioral changes.

24. Counselor’s Role
Conveys genuine empathy and positive regard for client.
Helps client determine goals.
Formulates goals in terms of increase or decrease in current discrete actions and thoughts.
Provides strategies to achieve goals.
Uses positive reinforcement as much as possible.

25. Counselor’s Role Assessment Interview Self-report inventory
Behavioral report by others
Systematic observation
Role-playing
Physiological measurement

26. Counselor’s Role Operant Conditioning Change Strategies Modeling
Role-play
Activity scheduling
Mastery/Pleasure rating
Reinforcement of a competing response
Diversion
Extinction
Punishment
Token economy

27. Counselor’s Role Classical Conditioning Change Strategies
Exposure and response prevention
Systematic desensitization
Flooding
Aversion therapy

28. Counselor’s Role Responding to client “resistance”: Make sure…
Counselor is more pleasant than aversive in relationship with client.
Client and counselor goals are aligned.
Assessment has identified all relevant aspects of client’s problem.
Treatment consists of steps client can manageably master one at a time.

29. Interface with Recent Developments in the Mental Health Field
Nature/Nurture
Genetics set the range of possible behaviors.
Environmental conditions strongly influence behaviors.
DSM 5 Diagnosis
Philosophically antithetical
Pragmatically, most behaviorists diagnose.
Pharmacotherapy
Behaviorists value empirical literature supporting effectiveness of psychoactive medication.
Behaviorists favor learning new skills over long-term dependence on pills.

30. Interface with Recent Developments in the Mental Health Field
Managed Care/Brief Therapy
Behavior therapy is designed to change specific behaviors in a short time.
Technical Eclecticism
Behaviorists use any technique empirically supported to change behavior – in some cases even when its consonance with behavioral philosophy is questionable.
Effectiveness of Psychotherapy
Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies have the strongest empirical support of any approaches, but their effectiveness relative to other therapies is not yet well established.

31. Interface with Recent Developments in the Mental Health Field
Diversity Issues
Sources conflict on whether behaviorists have empirically demonstrated effectiveness with culturally diverse populations.
Responsiveness to diverse populations probably not commendable, but improving.
Conversion or reparative therapy to change sexual orientation rejected on ethical and/or empirical grounds.
Can address religious/spiritual “problems in living” just like other problems in living.

32. Limitations
Charges that behavioral therapists are impersonal and mechanistic have been discredited.
Behavioral theory does not account for profoundly transforming spiritual experiences.
Behavior therapy appears to have lost its theory base.

33. Contributions
Specific treatment procedures for specific client concerns.
Treatment manuals that guide therapists in the most evidence-based yet individualized approaches.
In some cases, more than one approach to a client problem, which expands client choices.

34. References Fall, K. A., Holden, J. M., & Marquis, A.
(2016). Theoretical models of counseling and psychotherapy (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.