Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

cognitive behavior therapy
 
to 
change clients’ unhealthy behavior by replacing negative or self-defea-
ting thought patterns with more positive ones. As an initial step in many 
types of behavioral therapy, the client monitors his or her own behavior 
carefully, often keeping a written record. The client and therapist esta-
blish a set of specific goals that will result in gradual behavior change. 
The therapist’s role is often similar to that of a coach or teacher who 
gives the client “homework assignments” and provides advice and 
encouragement. Therapists continuously monitor and evaluate the cour-
se of the treatment itself, making any necessary adjustments to increase 
its effectiveness. A number of specific techniques are commonly used in 
behavioral therapy. Human behavior is routinely motivated and rewar-
ded by positive reinforcement. A more specialized version of this pheno-
menon, called 
systematic positive reinforcement,
is used by behavior-
oriented therapists. Rules are established that specify particular beha-
viors that are to be reinforced, and a reward system is set up. With chil-
dren, this sometimes takes the form of tokens that may be accumulated 
and later exchanged for certain privileges. Just as providing reinforce-
ment strengthens behaviors, withholding it weakens them. Eradicating 
undesirable behavior by deliberately withholding reinforcement is anot-
her popular treatment method called 
extinction.
For example, a child 
who habitually shouts to attract attention may be ignored unless he or 
she speaks in a conversational tone. 
Aversive conditioning
 
employs the 
principles of classical conditioning to lessen the appeal of a behavior 
that is difficult to change because it is either very habitual or temporarily 
rewarding. The client is exposed to an unpleasant stimulus while enga-
ged in or thinking about the behavior in question. Eventually the beha-
vior itself becomes associated with unpleasant rather than pleasant fee-
lings. One treatment method used with alcoholics is the administration 
of a nausea-inducing drug together with an alcoholic beverage to produ-
ce an aversion to the taste and smell
 
of alcohol by having it become 
associated with nausea. In counter conditioning, a maladaptive response 
is weakened by the strengthening of a response that is incompatible with 
it. A well-known type of counter conditioning is systematic desensitiza-
tion, which counteracts the anxiety connected with a particular behavior 
or situation by inducing a relaxed response to it instead. This method is 

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often used in the treatment of people who are afraid of flying. 
Modeling,
 
another treatment method, is based on the human tendency to learn 
through observation and imitation. A desired behavior is performed by 
another person while the client watches. In some cases, the client prac-
tices the behavior together with a model, who is often the therapist.