BEHAVIOR-THERAPY EMPOWERS PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL-ILLNESS

Behavior therapy has been viewed by some as disempowering persons with severe mental illness (i.e., undermining their ability to make indepe ndent decisions). This is ironic because various behavioral strategies actually promote independent decision making. Behavioral intervention s (a) provide a safe place for persons to consider their life decision s; (b) simplify the range of choices that comprise many of these decis ions; (c) help persons with severe mental illness learn behaviors so t hat they can better meet the demands of independent decision making; ( d) teach family members skills so that they can provide more resources to support independent decision making; and (e) facilitate self-contr ol over behaviors and the settings in which they occur. Behavior thera pists need to assert the important role that behavioral principles ass ume in empowering persons with mental illness so that these principles are not discarded by professionals who misunderstand, or otherwise st ereotype, behavioral interventions.