FAQ About PsychoEd (3)

I have heard that psychoeducators don't believe in behavior modification or applied behavior analysis.  What's the scoop?

Although there are some people who "believe" in ABA and behavior modification like a religion, psychoeducators do not go to that church! That is because the most significant and durable change comes from within the person, not from the transient power of some reward or threat. Psychoeducators think internal motivation and free will are important!  Besides, many troubled children and youth -- in sensing that they are being manipulated -- make a mockery of adults' attempts to use behavioral techniques.

Where's the Beef?

The bottom line is:  applied behavioral techniques and behavior modification are tools that may occasionally be useful, and nothing more.  Psychoeducators seek to promote significant changes in human beings, not trivial changes based upon the reactions of animals to "stimuli," even if they do constitute "evidence."

For young children -- and particularly those who are limited in their capacity for attachment or self-understanding (those with autism or mental retardation, for example), behavior modification may help in addressing certain behaviors.  Students who have neurologically-based disorders such as ADHD may also benefit from frequent rewards for positive behavior, although those rewards have no lasting impact. 

Psychoeducators uphold the critical importance of therapeutic, child-adult relationships, and strive to foster conditions that will create meaningful and durable change in behavior.