Imagine you have completed the certification process and you are now a practicing therapist who specializes in behavior modification. A new client calls you to make an appointment and discloses that she has a severe phobia of dogs. She has been terrified of them since childhood. Her fiancé has a dog and will not part with it, which requires her to get treatment before they are married. Take one of the following approaches to develop a strategy for her behavior change:
Option A: Utilize classical conditioning techniques to develop a strategy for changing the behavior of the client. Be specific in identifying the unconditioned stimulus, the unconditioned response, the conditioned stimulus, and the conditioned response. Your response should also indicate the most likely cause of this disorder from a behaviorist perspective. Your initial post should be a minimum of 250 words and utilize one peer-reviewed source which was published within the last five years, cited according to APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Indicate in your post which option you are responding to.
Option B: Utilize operant conditioning techniques to develop a strategy for changing the behavior of the client. Be specific in identifying the reinforcement for the unwanted behavior and the method(s) of reinforcement you will use. Your response should also indicate the most likely cause of this disorder from a behaviorist perspective. Your initial post should be a minimum of 250 words and utilize one peer-reviewed source which was published within the last five years, cited according to APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Indicate in your post which option you are responding to.