Behavioural Therapy

Behavioural therapy may be used to treat a wide range of problematic compulsive behaviours such as drug and/or alcohol use, food or eating issues, problematic gambling and gaming, pornography and sex related compulsions, relationship dependence, shopping compulsion and smoking.

 

Behaviour Therapy includes the thinking processes, attitudes and values which typically impact an individual. Generally speaking, Behaviour Therapy tends to view human beings and behaviour with the assumption that humans are a product of their sociocultural conditioning and environment.

 

In the context of addiction or a substance use disorder, behavioural therapy focuses on changing self-destructive or problematic behaviours through purposely and systematically applied concepts. Behavioural therapy also looks at your current problems and the factors influencing them. This therapeutic modality emphasizes noticeable and obvious behaviour changes more than your underlying unconscious processes.

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Typically, treatment goals are more concrete and objective with a strong focus on measuring progress over time. Ultimately, the goal of therapy is to create new learning and/or new conditions for learning that will ultimately impact the problem behaviour and/or substance use issue. This usually occurs after formulating goals which can be measured.

 

For addictions treatment, this may look like ‘rewiring’ your brain to process triggering events differently, so you can avert your urges to participate in substance use or compulsive behaviours and channel them into alternative positive behaviours. With behavioural therapy, for example, you will be equipped to divert problematic urges into positive constructive coping mechanisms like leaning into the support of loved ones or organized support groups, journaling, or any other safe and beneficial behaviour. This will include using positive reinforcement strategies to effectively increase a desired behaviour and/or goal such as sobriety and wellness.