BASIC CONCEPTS OF BEHAVIOUR THERAPY: AN EXPERIMENT INVOLVING DISTURBED ADOLESCENT GIRLS

Abstract

This paper attempts to summarize some of the basic principles and approaches of behaviour therapy that occupational therapists may find useful for application in many areas of practice. It attempts to do this by describing an experimental application of the behavioural modification approach within a treatment unit for disturbed adolescent girls. Two social skills, compliance and social greeting, are dealt with in this article. These skills are two of the many behaviours labeled “performance survival skills” shown in recent studies to be necessary for successful community adjustment.