SCHOOL OF BREATHING SCIENCES
307 Behavior Therapy (1 credit unit)
Learning self-management strategies is fundamental to overcoming dysfunctional breathing habits. Behavior modification is about the implementation of operant and respondent conditioning techniques for the extinction of dysfunctional habits and the acquisition of new more functional ones. Techniques to be covered include systematic desensitization, shaping and reinforcement, generalized conditioned reinforcers, punishment, extinction, time out, response cost, fading and leaning, procedures to enhance generalization, and ways to address cognitive distortions. Combinations of these techniques will also be covered, including assertion training, social skills training, and relapse prevention. A survey of many of the classic studies in behavior modification with children and adults will be reviewed, such as: learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, schizophrenia, problem solving, depression, aggression, and academic/learning deficiencies.