flooding Flashcards
1
Q
what is flooding?
A
- a behavioural therapy in which a person with a phobia is exposed to it without a gradual build-up in a hierarchy in order to reduce anxiety
2
Q
how long are the sessions and how many?
A
a session is longer than systematic desensitisation
- last up to 2-3 hours
- a small number of sessions
3
Q
flooding is not unethical, therefore …
A
the client must give fully informed consent to the procedure and that they are fully prepared before the session
4
Q
why does flooding work so fast?
A
without the option of avoidance behaviour, the client quickly learns that the phobic stimulus is harmless
5
Q
how does flooding work?
A
- a learned response is extinguished when the conditioned stimulus is encountered without the unconditioned stimulus
- conditioned stimulus no longer produces the conditioned response
6
Q
flooding is cost-effective why is that a strength?
A
- flooding can work in as little as 1 session as opposed to 10 sessions of systematic desensitization
- even allowing flooding sessions to be longer is cost-effective
- more people can be treated at the same cost with flooding than any other therapies
7
Q
flooding is traumatic how is that a limitation?
A
- unpleasant experience and provokes tremendous anxiety
- Sarah Schumacher at al 2015 = participants and therapists rated flooding as more stressful than systematic desensitization
- ethical issue as therapists knowingly cause stress to their clients
- dropout rates are higher than systematic desensitization
- therapists may avoid using this treatment