ABSTRACT
Identifying target or problem behaviours is an essential part of CBT+ and is part of the commitment phase of the therapy. A problem behaviour is a behaviour that is high risk (including all suicidal, self-harming and physically aggressive behaviours), or which stops the person getting help, or which ruins the person’s quality of life. The discussions of problem behaviours should be held from a standpoint of compassionate mind. Spotting judgements in our own responses and in the client’s story about their own behaviour is helpful in raising awareness. A target behaviour list is considered essential in dialectical behaviour therapy, as it provides the main content of each individual therapeutic session, where the therapist and client work to reduce these behaviours. The target behaviours should be as clear as possible and defined as operations in the behavioural sense of the word. The therapist should be able to ‘see’ the behaviours in her mind’s eye.
