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Date issued: June 2023

Review date: June 2025

Ref: C-530/EL/Clinical Psychology/Behaviour Experiments (BE)

PDF:  Behaviour Experiments (BE) final June 2023.pdf[pdf] 131KB

General overview of interventions

•  All CWP interventions are based on CBT. They usually last between 6-8 sessions and progress continues after the end of intervention, especially when new ideas and skills are practised at home

• The sessions can be with your child and/or you, face to face or via video and/or telephone call

• Attending regular sessions is important for change

What are Behaviour Experiments? (BE)

• BE is a suitable evidence-based intervention for young people experiencing mild to moderate symptoms of low mood, panic, agoraphobia, social phobia, health anxiety or general phobia

• BE aims to support young people to recognise how anxious thoughts can stop us from doing things we want to do. BE focuses on both thoughts and behaviour

What we do together in the sessions

• Together, we will learn more about the cycle of avoidance

• We will identify any anxious thoughts about a feared situation and design an experiment to test out if the feared outcome or theory is true (If the feared outcome is true, the young person will learn how they could cope with this)

• The young person will be asked to complete the agreed experiment either in the session or as a home task

• Together, we will reflect on each completed experiment and work out what our new thoughts and feelings are

• The young person may also learn some breathing/ coping techniques

How can you help at home?

• As with all our interventions, it is really important that the child or young person practices the techniques at home. As a caregiver, it would be great if you helped facilitate these tasks

• Facilitate time and space to complete any experiments

• Provide gentle (but not pressured) reminders of the experiments that were agreed in session

• Although we understand it can be very tempting, it is really important not to ‘rush’. Please try to stick to the agreed experiments made in the session. If the young person feels able to do more, that is fantastic!

• Celebrate your young person’s attempts as much as successes, no matter how big or small. It is OK if the young person doesn’t complete the chosen experiment, it is important that they gave it a go!

• Remember it is a journey for the young person and with you beside them, they can achieve great things!

• Model the behaviours you would like to see. You could even set yourself some experiments to complete!

Suggested self-help resources

• Search on YouTube for “Fight, flight, freeze – anxiety explained for teens” by Anxiety Canada

• Search on YouTube for “Anxiety and the cycle of avoidance” by Melanie Feldman

• Scan this QR code to take you straight to our anxiety Padlet or you can visit www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/anxiety-resources 

If you have any questions regarding this intervention or the CWP sessions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Wellbeing Practitioner!