behavior therapy

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. a form of therapy emphasizing the correction of a person's undesirable behavior through Pavlovian conditioning, aversive therapy, or similar learning techniques.

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Etymology

Origin of behavior therapy

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

For two weeks, she participated in dialectical behavior therapy, a form of talk therapy in which patients learn and practice skills, such as mindfulness, to manage intense feelings.

From Slate • Sep. 15, 2025

In my own life, I find myself thinking about the philosophy underpinning dialectical behavior therapy, an approach designed for the most challenging situations and intense emotions: learning to simultaneously wholeheartedly accept and change.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024

A signpost with six arrows on it sent users to different activities, each based on methods shown to improve mental health, such as dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2024

The program centers on dialectical behavior therapy, or D.B.T., which was developed over the past five decades by a psychologist named Marsha Linehan, who was suicidal herself.

From New York Times • May 17, 2023

Violence interruption programs seek to identify those people, with some working out of hospitals, others offering a carrot-and-stick approach along with the police, while others provide cognitive behavior therapy and mentoring.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 4, 2023