Which form of therapy would most likely be used to treat a group of clients affected by phobias?
Which form of therapy would most likely be used to treat a group of clients affected by phobias?
A. Behavioral psychotherapy
[13%]
B. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy
[58%]
C. Psychoanalysis
[10%]
D. Cognitive psychotherapy
[19%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Mental Health
Lesson
Mental Health
Client Need
Test Plan
Psychosocial Integrity
Related Topic
Behavioral Interventions
Item Type
Item Type
Application
Explanation
Choice B is correct. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment that combines cognitive psychotherapy and behavioral psychotherapy. CBT is recommended as a first-line treatment approach for specific phobias. The behavioral component of CBT involves repeated exposure to the feared situations and thereby promotes fear reduction. For example, a virtual reality exposure strategy using computer technology can be used to simulate real-life situations (e.g. treating fear of flying with repeated exposure in a flight simulator). The cognitive component of CBT facilitates the client to identify the maladaptive thoughts relating to stressors and replace them with realistic thoughts. For example, a client with a specific phobia of elevators may incorrectly believe there is an extremely high chance of getting stuck while in an elevator. This distorted belief can be addressed with cognitive therapy and thereby reduce fear. CBT is also used for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Choice A is incorrect. Behavioral psychotherapy is useful for patients adversely affected by substance-related disorders and other addictive disorders. Some of the techniques used with behavioral therapy include operant conditioning as put forth by Skinner, aversion therapy, desensitization therapy, modeling, and complementary and alternative stress management techniques.
Choice C is incorrect. Psychoanalysis deals with the client’s subconscious and focuses on the past and current issues. Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy have been used in treating anti-social personality disorders.
Choice D is incorrect. Cognitive psychotherapy is primarily used to treat patients with depression, anxiety disorders, or eating disorders. Cognitive therapy is aimed at altering the client’s perspective and attitudes relating to stressors.
Learning objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy combines cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy strategies and is the standard first-line treatment for phobias.
NCSBN Client Need: Topic: Psychosocial integrity; Sub-Topic: Behavioral interventions
