Question

A young man walks into a therapist’s office complaining of an intense fear of spiders. In describing this fear, he indicates that one small, stationary spider 5 meters away is only modestly threatening, but a large, rapidly moving spider 1 meter away is highly threatening. The therapist places him into a state of deep relaxation and asks him to imagine the least threatening situation he can think of involving spiders. He repeatedly imagines this situation until it fails to evoke any anxiety at all. This process is repeated while working through all of the situations in the anxiety hierarchy until the most anxiety-provoking one involving spiders. The therapist also teaches the man relaxation techniques to use in controlling breathing and muscle tension while imagining and confronting these situations. Eventually, the man no longer reports any anxiety when faced with spiders.

indicate which approach to psychotherapy is being described; psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, or cognitive.

Answer 1

The approach to psychotherapy described in this scenario is behavioral.

Step-by-step explanation:

The approach being used in this scenario is known as exposure therapy, which is a type of behavioral therapy. In exposure therapy, the therapist helps the patient gradually confront their fear in a controlled and safe environment, starting with the least threatening situations and gradually working up to the most anxiety-provoking ones. The therapist also teaches the patient relaxation techniques to help them manage their anxiety while imagining and confronting these situations. This process is intended to help the patient overcome their fear by gradually desensitizing them to the things that trigger their anxiety.