Counterconditioning Therapy

     In Counterconditioning, a particular response to a certain stimulus is replaced by a new response. This new response is supposed to deter the person from the stimulus. For example, a person may feel positive feelings towards smoking. Through a behavioral therapy technique they would learn to feel negatively about their smoking.

     Two techniques that are used in Counterconditioning are aversion therapy and systematic desensitization. In aversion therapy the client is taught to experience negative in the presence of the stimulus, with the aim that the client will eventually feel repelled by the stimulus. In systematic desensitization, the therapist seeks to help the client fight anxiety and other troublesome responses by teaching the client a set of relaxation techniques.

Related Links

Behavioral Psychology
Extinction Procedures
Operant Conditioning
Modeling
Behavioral Activation
Biofeedback