Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) Practice Test

What is the main focus of behavioral therapy for a client with a diagnosis of schizophrenia?

1. Managing psychotic symptoms

2. Desirable behaviors

3. Understanding past trauma

4. Coping with emotions

The correct answer is: Desirable behaviors

The primary focus of behavioral therapy for a client with schizophrenia is to modify and reinforce desirable behaviors. This approach emphasizes the importance of teaching clients skills to cope with their symptoms, engage in meaningful activities, and improve their overall functioning. Through structured interventions, clients are encouraged to develop positive behavioral patterns that can substitute maladaptive or disruptive behaviors. This therapy operates on the principles of reinforcement, where desirable behaviors are rewarded to promote their repetition and help individuals make significant improvements in their daily lives. While managing psychotic symptoms is critical in the treatment of schizophrenia, particularly through medication, behavioral therapy specifically aims to address behavior changes rather than directly alleviating the symptoms. Understanding past trauma can be an important aspect of therapy but is not the central focus of behavioral approaches designed for schizophrenia. Coping with emotions is also vital in the therapeutic process, but it tends to fall under other therapeutic modalities rather than behavioral therapy, which prioritizes observable behavior and reinforcement strategies.