Behavioral therapy emerged around the middle of the 20th century and initially focused strongly on outwardly visible, “disordered” patient behavior. It soon became clear, however, that not only behavior but also a patient’s thoughts and feelings need to change in order to treat a mental illness sustainably. Over time, changing unhelpful thinking styles (cognitions) became a fixed part of therapy. That is why we now speak of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT combines a wide range of disorder-specific and transdiagnostic exercises, techniques, and methods that are individually tailored to each patient. Numerous scientific studies in recent years have demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral treatments for many mental disorders. At the beginning of behavioral therapy, therapist and patient jointly develop a disorder model that describes how the disorder arose and is maintained. A treatment plan is then created in which different therapeutic elements can be applied flexibly.
The best-known methods of behavioral therapy are probably exposure and confrontation methods, which are often used for anxiety and panic disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder, for example. In this process, the patient deliberately seeks out the situations they fear most. For example, a patient with a fear of heights climbs a very tall tower, a patient with arachnophobia holds a tarantula in their hand, or a patient with washing compulsions does not wash their hands for several hours. Other methods include systematic desensitization, relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring, problem-solving training, and social skills training. Unlike other therapeutic approaches, cognitive behavioral therapy is primarily problem- and goal-oriented. Patients also work actively in therapy and are often asked to keep diaries and logs or carry out exposures and exercises independently.
(Source: gesundheit.de)