behavior therapy

noun

variants or behavioral therapy or behavior modification or behavioral modification

: psychotherapy that is concerned with the treatment (as by desensitization or aversion therapy) of observable behaviors rather than underlying psychological processes and that applies principles of learning to substitute desirable responses and behavior patterns for undesirable ones (such as phobias or obsessions) compare cognitive therapy

behavior therapist noun

or behavioral therapist

Examples of behavior therapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Emes got second opinions and even entered an online cognitive behavior therapy class for pain management offered through Lehigh Valley Hospital that is part of a five-year research project at Stanford University. —Susan Miers Smith, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2024

Despite behavior therapy often recommended alone or as adjunct to medications, only about half of children with current ADHD, 53.6%, had used medication and 44.4% had received behavioral therapy in the last year, according to parent responses. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 27 May 2024

The clinic provides dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, a form of talk therapy that aids in emotional regulation, for local youth and their families. —Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024

The good news: In one Boston University study, cognitive behavior therapy designed specifically for hoarders led to improvements for 70 percent of those who tried it. —By Michael Roizen, M.d., and Mehmet Oz, M.d., Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

behavior therapy

noun

variants or behavioral therapy or behavior modification or behavioral modification

: psychotherapy that is concerned with the treatment (as by desensitization or aversion therapy) of observable behaviors rather than underlying psychological processes and that applies principles of learning to substitute desirable responses and behavior patterns for undesirable ones (such as phobias or obsessions) compare cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy