Behavior Therapy and Neuropsychology

Description of the Strategy

There have been significant advances in the integration of behavior therapy and neuropsychology since the first accounts of behavioral intervention with brain-injured individuals in the 1970s. Indeed, advent of a “behavioral neuropsychology” recognizes the increasing interdependence of these approaches in the coordinated care of individuals who have experienced brain injury. A neuropsychological approach to patient care emphasizes brain-behavior relationships, whereas a behavioral approach, as embodied by the operant and respondent technologies of behavior modification and behavior therapy, focuses on behaviorenvironmental relationships. Both approaches may be used to evaluate an individual's cognitive functioning, establish baselines against which progress or decline can be measured, clarify diagnoses, and assist in rehabilitation and treatment planning. Used in tandem, these approaches provide a greater ...