Which intervention uses systematic desensitization to eliminate or decrease habits interfering with daily life and uses relaxation & visualization?

• A. Relaxation training
• B. Shaping & Chaining
• C. Systematic Desensitization
• D. Collaborative Therapeutic Homework

Answer: (C)

Systematic desensitization combines relaxation with guided visualization to weaken anxiety-driven or interfering habits through a gradual exposure process. You build a hierarchy of triggering situations from least to most challenging and practice deep relaxation or calm imagery at each step, moving closer to real-life exposure as the child stays relaxed. The key is pairing a calm, controlled state with progressively more challenging cues, which teaches the nervous system to respond with relaxation instead of anxiety. Relaxation training alone doesn’t include the structured, stepwise exposure and mental rehearsal that systematic desensitization uses; other techniques like shaping & chaining focus on teaching new behaviors in sequence, and collaborative therapeutic homework emphasizes family-driven tasks, not the specific desensitization process. So the approach described—using relaxation plus visualization within a graded exposure plan—best fits systematic desensitization.