Therapeutic role-playing has proved to be an effective treatment for phobia sufferers, who often believe that a feared situation is inherently dangerous. This type of therapy allows a therapist and patient to act out scenarios that are difficult for the phobia sufferer. Through role-playing, the patient learns new behaviors to help overcome their particular phobia.
How Does Role-Playing Therapy Work?
Therapeutic role-playing is a technique that allows a person with a phobia to practice new behaviors. In a role-playing session, the therapist takes the identity of someone that the person is afraid to confront, such as a parent or employer.
The person then interacts with the therapist, utilizing behaviors that she has learned during therapy. After the role-playing session is complete, a debriefing takes place in which the client and therapist discuss what happened and ways to improve the interaction. This technique can be particularly helpful for those dealing with social phobia, germ phobia, or other interpersonal phobias.
How Does Role-Playing Therapy Help?
When someone with a phobia is interacting with a therapist, he or she can put to use the new behaviors that were learned during treatment. Many people with phobias suffer from social or interpersonal fears that prevent them from actively participating in some aspect of their lives. Role-Playing Therapy can help people overcome their fears by learning new behavioral techniques. How well role-playing works often depends on the severity of the phobia.
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