Behavior Management
Behavioral interventions that honor the whole individual and family
Effective behavior management is essential for fostering emotional and mental well-being. At Navesink Wellness Center, we offer behavior management services that target impulse control, frustration tolerance, and the development of critical coping skills. These services help individuals reduce the impact of disruptive behaviors, which can significantly affect relationships, academic or work performance, and overall mental health.
For children, in particular, early intervention is crucial, as many disruptive behaviors stem from difficulty managing emotions and understanding appropriate social norms. Children often experience heightened frustration and act impulsively because they lack the skills to regulate their emotions or navigate challenging situations. By learning strategies to manage frustration and improve self-control, children can reduce emotional outbursts, improve relationships with peers and adults, and perform better academically. Our structured approach teaches children essential life skills, ensuring they can grow into emotionally resilient and socially adept individuals.
How Behavior Management Differs from Therapy
While both behavior management and therapy aim to improve mental health and well-being, their approaches differ.
Behavior management focuses on modifying specific behaviors that interfere with daily life. It is more structured and skills-based, providing individuals with concrete techniques to improve impulse control, frustration tolerance, and emotional regulation. This approach often includes goal-setting, monitoring progress, and reinforcing positive behaviors.
Therapy, on the other hand, often explores deeper emotional and psychological patterns, helping individuals understand the underlying causes of their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. Therapy may address trauma, emotional health, and long-term patterns in a less structured format, allowing for exploration and reflection.
Both services can complement each other, and at Navesink Wellness Center, we offer a collaborative approach to ensure clients receive the most effective treatment for their unique needs.
The ABC’s of Behavior Management
Antecedent:
An antecedent is what occurs right before the target behavior. It can be verbal (like a request or command), or physical (an object, sound, or something in the environment). This is commonly referred to as the “trigger.”
By understanding what occurs before a behavior, we gain better analyze the “why.”
Behavior:
A behavior is any action that can be observed, counted or timed. It can be learned through imitation or directly taught. Behaviors are what occurs in response to an antecedent.
Consequence:
The consequence describes what happens immediately after, or in response to, a behavior. It helps maintain or make the behavior more likely / unlikely to occur again.
Common Functions of Behavior
The ABC framework often reveals the function of a behavior, or why it occurs. Common functions include:
- Attention: The individual seeks attention from others.
- Escape/Avoidance: The behavior helps avoid or delay an unpleasant task or situation.
- Access: The behavior gains access to a desired item or activity.
- Sensory Stimulation: The behavior provides self-stimulation or fulfills a sensory need.
By identifying the function, interventions can target the root cause of the behavior, not just the symptoms.
Child Services
For children, behavior management focuses on helping them understand and control emotions and actions in a structured, supportive environment. We address:
- Tantrums and outbursts: Learning to manage emotional responses to frustration or disappointment.
- Oppositional behaviors: Managing defiance and non-compliance in various settings (school, home, social situations).
- Impulsivity: Helping children control impulsive behaviors such as interrupting, acting without thinking, or risk-taking.
- Difficulty with transitions: Supporting children in managing changes in routine or expectations without resistance.
- Aggression: Addressing physical or verbal aggression in a safe and constructive manner.
- Social challenges: Helping children navigate peer relationships and develop appropriate social interactions.
- Focus and attention: Working on sustained attention and minimizing distractions for better performance in tasks.
A main goal of the program is to transfer knowledge, strategies and techniques that are used in treatment to other individuals in the child’s life.
It is essential for parents and caretakers to be actively involved in the process in order to implement these elements on a consistent basis.
The goal will be to reward the behaviors that are desirable and not give in to those that are unhealthy and inappropriate.
Adult Services
The foundational basis on this approach is to not only accept where you are today, but to also strive to make changes and grow.
This 8 session program focuses on identifying the specific behaviors that are causing instability and working to find healthier, more appropriate ways to tolerate distress, regulate emotions and incorporate more appropriate and mindful behaviors.
Behavior management services for adults focus on helping individuals develop strategies for handling daily life stressors and improving emotional regulation. We address:
- Anger management: Learning techniques to control anger and reduce explosive reactions.
- Procrastination: Addressing habitual avoidance of tasks and promoting better time management.
- Compulsive behaviors: Managing behaviors such as overspending, overeating, or substance misuse.
- Interpersonal conflicts: Improving communication and conflict resolution skills in personal and professional relationships.
- Impulsivity: Helping adults control impulsive decision-making that can negatively affect work, relationships, or health.
- Frustration tolerance: Increasing resilience when dealing with challenges or setbacks.
- Stress and anxiety management: Reducing the impact of stress and anxiety on daily functioning.
