Behavioral/Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to Occupational Engagement

The behavioral/cognitive-behavioral conceptual model of practice is informed primarily by theoretical constructs from Skinner’s operant conditioning theory and Beck’s cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. The model is, therefore, based on the assumption that many human problems constitute behavioral and social challenges. Thus, behavior change is a significant part of addressing those challenges. Further, incentives for behavior change, in the form of reinforcement, come from the environment. Here we define the environment as the context of occupational performance, including the human relationships that provide social occupational expectations. Change occurs within specific contexts enacting the behavior that will most likely generate desired consequences. Such stimulus for change is often in the form of: “goal-setting,” automatically creating “a reward if the goal is met or if sufficient progress is evident”.