Articles by J. Brandon Birath, PhD

Clinical Update

Establishing a Token Economy in a Psychiatric Unit: Guidelines and Benefits

July 1, 2024

J. Brandon Birath, PhD and Victoria Hendrick, MD

J. Brandon Birath, PhD. Director of Psychology Training, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Birath and Dr. Hendrick have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Token economies utilize a system where positive behaviors are rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged for desired items or privileges, fostering increased patient engagement and autonomy. We outline the essential steps for initiating and overseeing a token economy within a psychiatric unit.

Carlat Total Access Subscriptions: Get access to every article on the website.

Complete access to every article you search on the website.

Treating Opioid Use Disorder—A Fact Book (2024)
All the tools you need to assess and treat patients struggling with opioid use disorder.
READ MORE

General Psychiatry
KarXT (Cobenfy): The Breakthrough Antipsychotic That Could Change Everything
Read More

General Psychiatry
Psychopharm Secrets: What Patients Won’t Tell You
How to assess med response when the patient reports is a poor guide: long-term mood stabilizers, sleep meds, and rapid cycling.
Listen now