title: Psychotherapy, today and tomorrow: status quo of behavior and cognitive therapy and its efficacy.
abstract: This paper reviews the development of behavior therapy, its applications, and the characteristics that make this form of therapy unique and applicable to a wide range of problems. Behavior therapy started from learning theory. It has adopted other theoretical bases and produced numerous techniques as a result of efforts to apply its principles to clinical problems. Recently, cognitive techniques of behavior therapy have been growing. The characteristics of behavior therapy are: (i) problem oriented and practical; (ii) emphasis on real life and living skills; and (iii) concrete viewpoint and techniques. These characteristics enable wide application. Today, many studies show the superior efficacy of behavior therapy for various mental and physical problems. Some well-documented techniques can be performed by non-professionals. The techniques and the viewpoint of behavior therapy would be accepted widely in Pacific Rim countries in the future.
authors.affiliation: Center for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Hizen National Mental Hospital, Kanzaki Saga, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamagami
mesh_terms: D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005202:Asia, Eastern; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome