Acceptance-based behavior therapy is used for individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder which occurs in individuals who suffer from chronic, uncontrollable worry causing them to make decisions based on reducing anxiety, rather than partaking in meaningful activities. Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy helps reduce those negative decisions by developing more accepting relationships with internal responses to maintain anxiety. Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy targets adults between the ages of 15-64 generally consisting of 16 sessions focusing on understanding the model using cognitive behavioral techniques to practice mindfulness in various aspects of their lives (Roemer, Lizabeth. 2007). The first study design was the Randomized Clinical …show more content…
Trial Comparing Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy to Applied Relaxation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This study was designed to test if treatment combining mindfulness and acceptance techniques with behavioral approaches would improve outcomes in those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It included 16 sessions broken into 2 phases. Phase 1 (session 1-7) was 60 minutes and focused on introducing Acceptance-Based Behavioral therapy to clients, and Phase 2 (Session 8-16) focused on applying mindfulness and acceptance skills into one’s life with constant reviewing to maintain gains after implementation (Hayes-Skelton, Sarah 2013). The sample consisted of 81 individuals (65% female, 80.2% Caucasian, 32.92 average age) diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder randomly assigned to either Applied Relaxation or Acceptance therapy. They were assessed pre- and post-treatment with a 6 month follow up. Applied Relaxation Therapy focused on developing relaxation skills through diaphragmatic breathing and muscle relaxation.
It also enhanced recognizing early signs of anxiety. Applied Relaxation consisted of a 3 phases totaling in 16 sessions. Phase 1 focused on muscle relaxation training, Phase 2 focused on apply relaxation to early signs of anxiety, and Phase 3 (last 3 sessions) focused on relapse prevention and strategies to maintain gains (Hayes-Skelton, Sarah 2013). The outcome measures used in this study was the Generalized Anxiety Clinician Severity Rating, Structured Interview Guide for Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory along with second outcome measures including Quality of Life Inventory. Major findings of the study design was that Acceptance therapy did not lead to a significant decrease in depression, comorbid conditions, nor did it increase the quality of life in individuals compared to those receiving therapy using Applied Relaxation (Hayes-Skelton, Sarah 2013). Applied Relaxation was viewed as more simple for dissemination but unyielding and time-consuming for clients …show more content…
who aren’t receiving free treatment. Acceptance therapy was more flexible to client’s circumstances which clients considered a strength. There were numerous limitations which was that all therapists regimented both treatments which lead to the possibility of treatment diffusion. Secondly, the therapists were inexperienced reducing the efficacy of the interventions. Thirdly, there was a fixed treatment length and protocol that did not allow the possibility of adapting to therapy to incorporate different components from other approaches. Finally, the population was predominately Caucasian limiting the results about efficacy of the interventions to other diverse populations (Hayes-Skelton, Sarah 2013). The second study was Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the Effects on Outcomes from Three Theoretical Models.
The models used for comparison in this intervention was emotion regulation difficulties, intolerance of uncertainty, and low perceptions of control (Treanor, Michael. 2011). The sample included 31 participants randomly assigned to either treatment. The participants must had to have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, have no current suicidal ideation, must not meet the criteria for Bipolar Disorder, substance dependence, or psychotic disorder, and be of 18 years of age or older. Of the 31 sample, 22 were female and 27 identified as Caucasian, one African American, one Asian, and two Latinos. Treatment consisted of 16 session for Acceptance behavior therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Early session focused on psychoeducation to understand the client’s struggles eventually focusing on the role of judgment, understanding experimental avoidance, and learning mindfulness exercises. The outcome measures were completed at pre- and post-treatment at a 3- and 9-month follow up and those measures included the Affective Control Scale, Differences in Emotion Regulation Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Anxiety Control Questionnaire-Revised, Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV, and the Penn State Questionnaire. The major findings of this research was that compared to waitlist participants, treatment condition participants
proved a significantly greater decrease in fear of emotions and emotion regulation with greater increases in tolerance of uncertainty, perception of threat, and perceived control of general anxiety (Treanor, Michael. 2011). Mindfulness, which was one of the main components in Acceptance-Based therapy, showed an increase in an individual’s tolerance of uncertainty reducing the desire for control causing clients to understand the realistic expectations of gaining control over certain situations (Treanor, Michael. 2011). Limitations of this study was that some dependent variables were related to one another causing overlapping variance. Also, not all cognitive-behavior theories of Generalized Anxiety Disorder were assessed lacking a fair representation and assessment of the various models. The third limitation was the lack of racial diversity of the sample limiting the capability to generalize the findings (Treanor, Michael. 2011). The final limitation was that the study used a wait-list control as comparison which influenced the ability to strictly state that the design was exclusively responsible for changes in the participants (Treanor, Michael. 2011). In order to implement this Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy into a community setting, training needs to be more accessible to service providers. Since most clinicians are not funded by universities and other institutions who pay for conference and training fees who are charged at the conferences, there needs to be grants focused on dissemination (Sobczak, LaTanya-Rucker. 2013). Those grants help the communities gain access to treatment information. Treatment can be disseminated through website seminars assisting clinicians who can’t travel for conferences (Sobczak, LaTanya-Rucker. 2013). Clinicians should also write self-help books that are easily accessible and understandable to consumers. Since Acceptance-based treatment is time consuming and costly, its important self-help books are implemented for the individuals lacking the funds to pay for treatment (Sobczak, LaTanya-Rucker. 2013). This intervention addresses any co-occurring disorders the individuals might have because it targets common behavioral processes benefitting those with depression and anxiety. Techniques like Mindfulness training targets underlying mechanisms of major depressive disorder and substance use disorders because Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy dedicates numerous sessions on understanding mindfulness (Brewer, Judson A. 2010).
DBT is effective when working with clients experiencing anxiety disorder and depression. Individuals in DBT therapy are taught to notice, rather than react to thoughts and behaviors. DBT teaches clients to accept their emotional reactions and learn to tolerate distress while being mindful of their present experiences. DBT has four stages for therapy. In stage one the pre-commitment stage is where the therapist explains what types of treatment the client will receive. In this stage the client must agree to stop all self harm behavior and work toward developing other coping skills. In stage two the goal is to assist the client into controlling her emotions. Stage three and four involve assisting the client to gain the ability to develop self respect (Waltz, 2003).
Psychotherapy integration is best explained as an attempt to look beyond and across the dimensions of a single therapy approach, to examine what one can learn from other perspectives, and how one’s client’s can benefit from various ways of administering therapy (Corey, 2013). Research has shown that a variety of treatments are equally effective when administered by therapist who believe in them and client’s that accept them (Corey, 2013). Therefore, one of the best aspects of utilizing an integrative approach is that, in most cases, if a therapist understands how and when to incorporate therapeutic interventions, they usually can’t go wrong. While integrating different approaches can be beneficial for the client, it is also important for the
Psychotherapy is the, “Treatment of emotional, behavioral, personality, and psychiatric disorders based primarily on verbal or nonverbal communication and interventions with the patient, in contrast to treatments using chemical and physical measures." (medilexicon.com) Within psychotherapy there are multiple types of therapy that are under the term psychotherapy, one of those being Behavioral Activation Therapy. Behavioral activation comes from the work of Peter Lewinsohn. "Starting in 1964, Dr. Lewinsohn’s research interests began to focus on the topic of depression" (ORI) There are core principals in Behavioral activation; a few of those are, structure and schedule, changing how one feels by changing what they do, and change will be easier
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form a therapy that is short term, problem focused, cost effective, and can be provided to a broad range of disorders and is based on evidence based practices, in fact it is has the most substantial evidence based of all psychosocial therapies (Craske, 2017, p.3). Evidence based practice are strategies that have been proven to be effective through research and science. One goal of CBT is to decrease symptoms and improve the quality of life by replacing maladaptive behaviors, emotions and cognitive responses with adaptive responses (Craske, 2017, p.24). The behavioral intervention goal is to decrease maladaptive behavior and increase adaptive behavior. The goal of cognitive intervention is to modify maladaptive cognitions, self-statements or beliefs. CBT grew out of behavioral therapy and the social learning theory (Dobson, 2012, p.9). It wasn’t until the 1950s that CBT started to swarm the psychology field. Due to nonscientific psychoanalytic approaches, there was a need for a better form of intervention which ensued to behavioral therapy (Craske, 2017, p.9). Behavioral therapy included two types of principles classical and instrumental. Classical conditioning is based on response behavior and instrumental conditioning is more voluntary behavior (Craske, 2017, p.10). Although there was improvement in treatment, clinicians were still dissatisfied
From a theoretical standpoint, I would prefer to structure my effort with Ms. Farber based on REBT Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The emphasis in REBT is on the acquisition and employment of functional core beliefs that the sessions can be thought of as “training sessions.” It is imperative to change the frame of reference in the Ms. Farber’s perspective. Moreover, this change can create dramatic shifts in her thinking. I hope to highlight the ways that an irrational thought represents a dispute that serves as an opportunity for the client to establish effective coping strategies. Ms. Farber is careless with her financial resources, the poor choices she made, and the consequences of those actions
Goldfried, M.R., Burckell, L.A., & Eubanks-Carter, C. (2003). Therapist self-disclosure in cognitive-behavior therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, Special Issue: In Session, 59(5), 555-568.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment developed by Marsha M. Linehan for the treatment of complex, difficult-to-treat mental disorders. Originally, DBT was developed to treat individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Carson-Wong, Rizvi, & Steffel, 2013; Scheel, 2000). However, DBT has evolved into a treatment for multi-disordered individuals with BPD. In addition, DBT has been adapted for the treatment of other behavioral disorders involving emotional dysregulation, for example, substance abuse, binge eating, and for settings, such as inpatient and partial hospitalization. Dimeff and Linehan (2001) described five functions involved in comprehensive DBT treatment. The first function DBT serves is enhancing behavioral capabilities. Secondly, it improves motivation to change by modifying inhibitions and reinforcement. Third, it assures that new capabilities can be generalize to the natural environment. Fourth, DBT structures the treatment environment in the ways essential to support client and therapist capabilities. Finally, DBT enhances therapist capabilities and motivation to treat clients effectively. In standard DBT, these functions are divided into modes for treatment (Dimeff & Linehan, Dialectical behavior therapy in a nutshell, 2001).
Cognitive behavior therapy has been proven to work in many different areas and presenting problems. One area that was not mention above that would significantly improve the outcome of any given therapy is the willingness of the client to accept treatment. The goal of cognitive behavior therapy is to focus on the present and to help the client identify their own strengths, learn new tools or techniques that they can use on their everyday life, and to be able to identify the different thought, emotional, and behavioral patterns that lead to undesirable
Moscovitch, D. A., Gavric, D. L., Senn, J. M., Santesso, D. L., Miskovic, V., Schmidt, L. A., & ... Antony, M. M. (2012). Changes in judgment biases and use of emotion regulation strategies during cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder: Distinguishing treatment responders from nonresponders. Cognitive Therapy And Research, 36(4), 261-271. doi:10.1007/s10608-011-9371-1
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of treatment that focuses on examining the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors (NAMI, 2012). It is designed to modify the individual’s normative dysfunctional thoughts. The basic cognitive technique consists of delineating the individual's specific misconceptions, distortions, and maladaptive assumptions, and of testing their validity and reasonableness (Beck, 1970). By exploring thought patterns that lead to maladaptive behaviors and actions and the beliefs that direct these thoughts, people with mental illness can alter their thought process to improve coping. CBT is different from oth...
Researchers such as Hayes and Strosahl (2005) defines acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as an empirically based intervention technique from the cognitive behavior model of psychotherapy that employs mindfulness and acceptance methods mixed in various ways. Grounded within the practical concept of functional contextualism and based on the comprehensive idea of language and cognition, ACT is different from the normal or traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. The differences are manifested in the paradigm of instead of teaching people to control their emotions, ACT teaches them to acknowledge, accept and embrace the emotions and or feelings (Hayes, Louma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006). Primarily, western traditions functions under the assumption of “healthy normality” which believes that humans are naturally psychologically healthy; however ACT contends that the “so-called” normal human mind is volatile and destructive. The nucleus concept of ACT is that psychological based suffering is caused by experimental averting, cognitive mess, and psychological inflexibility that lead to malfunctions in taking necessary behavioral steps in agreement with core values (Hayes et al, 2006).
Anxiety impacts approximately 25% of 13-18 at some point (Merikangas et al., n.d.). Anxiety that no longer signals danger can become pathological when it is excessive and persistent (Upadhyay, 2016). According to Upadhyay (2016), this type of pathological worry known as anxiety is a major component of an unhealthy lifestyle. Excessive worry is an indicator of anxiety and it is believed that yoga is effective due to its emphasis on focusing on the present moment rather than focusing on the past or future (Khalsa et al., 2011). Yoga outside of psychotherapy can improve emotional regulation and mental health functioning in youth. Participants obtained skills to breathe and use movement to calm down and learned to pay better attention to their thoughts, body, and feelings (Beltran, et al., 2016). Another study conducted by Upadhyay (2016) found that after a 12-week yoga program adolescents saw a decrease in anxiety scores on Becks Anxiety Inventory and reported a decrease in tension, depression, and anger. Another unique form of therapy that is utilized for anxiety is Yoga-Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Y-BT) (Khalsa, et al., 2011). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a theory used in a clinical setting that targets maladaptive thought patterns to seek behavioral change. Y-CBT uses this therapeutic process and also incorporate yoga during the process. This is because CBT trains the individual to identify and replace maladaptive thoughts and yoga and meditation often reduce the tendency for the thoughts to happen in general. The study utilizing Y-CBT saw a significant improvement in anxiety levels and a significant decrease in symptoms of comorbid depression and panic in participants diagnosed with ...
Cognitive therapy approaches of psychotherapy have proved to be one of the most effective psychological approaches for a wide range of behavioral problems. “CBT teaches anxiety reduction skills that people can use for the rest of their lives. Research shows the
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy created by Albert Ellis. REBT was one of the first types of cognitive therapies and was first called rational therapy. In 1959 the name was changed to Rational Emotive Therapy and did not get its current name, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, until 1992.
Beck, A. T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R. L. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York, NY: Basic Books Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: basics and beyond (2nd ed.) New York, NY: Guilford Press.