Personalize Your BFRB Treatment Plan in Three Steps

Step 1: Identify Your Triggers

• Sensory: Sensations I have before, during, and after I pull/pick (ex. scalp itches; hair feels coarse)

• Cognitive: Thoughts I have before, during and after I pull/pick (ex. I can't resist, this has to go)

• Affective: Feelings I have before, during, and after I pull/pick (ex. anxious, angry, soothed)

• Motor Habits: Positions/actions that lead me to pull/pick (ex. leaning on face, twirling hair); What I do with hair/skin (ex. bite, swallow, twirl)

• Place: Places where I pull/pick (ex. watching TV); Things nearby when I pull/pick (ex. mirror, tweezers)

Step 2: Consider Strategies

• Sensory strategies – e.g., baths, massages, bath sponge, koosh balls, brushing hair, lotion, Vaseline

• Cognitive strategies – e.g., identify/reframe unhelpful thoughts, visualize successfully using my strategies

• Affective strategies – e.g., identify and address emotion, keep a journal, deep breathing, yoga

• Motor strategies – e.g., Band-Aids, medical tape, gloves, rubber finger tips, hat, glasses, crochet/knit

• Place strategies – e.g., remove tweezers, cover mirrors, dim lights, leave door open, stay around others

Step 3: Make an Action Plan

• What are my triggers?

• Which of my triggers am I ready to address?

• What possible strategies can I try?

• What do I need in order to address these triggers?

• What will be my first step to enact this plan?