PSYC 3403 Lecture Notes - Cognitive Therapy, Relapse Prevention, Social Learning Theory

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3403
• Professor: John Weekes

Document Summary

Relapse prevention has a strong theoretical base and makes heavy use of cognitive behavioral techniques. Relapse prevention also has theoretical underpinning from social learning theory. Relapse prevention is empirically based meaning that it is researchable and has been studied extensively. For example, the freudian view on the unconscious is logically irrefutable, meaning that it is scientifically untestable. Relapse prevention is an over-arching treatment approach with multiple options, which makes it highly adaptable. Relapse prevention is present oriented (not concerned with past drug use, more interested in what is going on with you now) and action oriented. Relapse prevention is reflective of fundamental human behavior. This means that it takes into consideration the fact that people will slip, lapse, and relapse. A slip refers to a minor slip up like having a beer; a lapse is where someone moves to a previous stage in in the transtheoretical model; a relapse is the full resumption of previous use behavior.