1. Behavior Modification and Behavioral Therapy B.F. Skinner was one of the most influential researchers in behavior modification He is the founder of operant conditioning Behavioral therapy is based on the notion of operant conditioning and is a therapeutic treatment, especially for those who suffer from anxiety (as well as other disorders) This therapy focuses mainly on exposure and escape behaviors and trying to extinguish them Jennifer Mislinski

2. Behavioral Therapy and Anxiety Parsons and Rizzo, 2007, explored outcomes of virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and specific phobias. VRET (virtual reality exposure therapy) is a therapy that uses a computer simulation/virtual environment and immerses the user in a particular setting The researchers collected 21 articles that used virtual reality treatment in their studies for people suffering from anxiety or other similar disorders (such as phobias) and meta analyzed the data. After analyzing all of the data, Parsons and Rizzo, 2007 found that VRET is an effective way to treat those people suffering from anxiety, by reducing symptoms. Jennifer Mislinski

3. Behavioral Therapy and Anxiety Barlow, Cerny, Klosko, and Tassinari, 1990 looked at the effectiveness of Behavior Therapy and the medication alprazolam in people with Panic Disorder The researchers selected participants that were between ages 18 and 65 and who were visiting the Phobia and Anxiety Disorders clinic at SUNY Albany. They also included participants who had mild to severe agoraphobic avoidance. There was a total of four groups; a medication group (alprazolam), a placebo group, a behavior therapy group, and a waitlist group 57 out of 69 initial subjects completed the study (12 dropped out and most came from the placebo group) Jennifer Mislinski

4. Behavioral Therapy and Anxiety Barlow, Cerny, Klosko, and Tassinari, 1990 discovered that over 85% of people who participated in the behavior therapy group were panic free after a 2 week period at the end of treatment Those in the behavior therapy group did significantly better than those in the placebo or waiting list groups The researchers also found that the medication alprazolam group was not significantly different than the behavior therapy. Alprazolam group did not do much better than the placebo group This study shows that the combination of alprazolam and behavior therapy may possibly work better than any other types of therapy Jennifer Mislinski

5. Behavioral Therapy and Anxiety CBT is a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy.. Kendall and Southam-Gerow, 1996 reported a long-term follow up of CBT for anxiety-disordered youth. Participants in the study were clients who completed treatment at the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic (CAADC) at Temple University at least two year prior to the study. 36 girls and boys participated in the study After assessing the childrens’ well being, the researchers found that the adolescents had mostly maintained the gains they made in treatment 2-5 years earlier The children were also successful in their maintenance of treatment Jennifer Mislinski

6. References Kendall, P., & Southam-Gerow, M. (1996). Long-term follow-up of a cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disordered youth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 724-730. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from the PsychInfo database. Klosko, J., Barlow, D., Tassinari, R., & Cerny, J. (1990). A comparison of alprazolam and behavior therapy in treatment of panic disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 77-84. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from the PsychInfo database. Parsons, T., & Rizzo, A. (2008). Affective outcomes of virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety and specific phobias: A menta-analysis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 39, 250-261. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from the PsychInfo database. Jennifer Mislinski