Question

Dr. Vo teaches a class about types of psychotherapies. Dr. Vo presented a case study of a child who developed a phobia of thunderstorms. The therapist in the case study gradually exposed the child to simulated thunderstorms while in a relaxed state. Eventually, thunderstorms no longer caused the child fear. The therapist in the case study was MOST likely using:

Answer 1

The therapist in the case study is most likely using: systematic desensitization.

Step-by-step explanation:

Systematic desensitization is based on classical conditioning. It is a behavioral therapy that aims to first reduce and then remove a patient's fear that results from phobia. The purpose is to substitute the fear response with a relaxation response.

The therapist will work with the patient gradually, but in a way that can be basically divided into three steps. First, the patient learns how to achieve a state of relaxation through meditation, breathing techniques, and muscle detensioning. Second, the patient creates a fear hierarchy concerning their phobia - for instance, 10 points for thinking of a thunderstorm, 20 points for looking at a photo of a thunderstorm, and so on. Finally, the patient works their way up their fear hierarchy. When they no longer feel uncomfortable at the first stage (thinking of the storm), they move on to the second, etc. That is precisely what Dr. Vo is showing in the study case of the child. This child's fear was gradually substituted for a relaxation response.