Psychologists are often sought out by families or nursing home staff to develop intervention strategies for behavior problems in dementia patients. This article describes a systematic approach, or practical model, for developing these strategies. Variables that may contribute to behavior problems include comfort needs, assaultiveness, anger, patient's perceptions, activity involvement, triggers, patterns of escalation, personal history, caregiver interaction styles, and level of cognitive functioning. Each variable of this model is described in terms of key team members, relevant team dynamics, assessment, and intervention strategies.Psychologists are being increasingly called on to help develop intervention strategies for behavior problems in dementia patients (Nordhus, VandenBos, Berg, & Fromholt, 1998). The need for psychological intervention begins with the realization that "The dementias are the most commonly found psychiatric syndromes in the nursing home with a prevalence of 67 to 78 percent" (Grossberg & Solomon, 1993, p. 35). The behavior problems of dementia patients constitute a disproportionate part of the caregiving burden. As a result, the management of these behavior problems is primarily left to nursing assistants, who often have little or no formal training in working with behavioral problems (Liptzen, 1992). Given these considerations, the need for involvement of psychologists becomes clear. This article describes a practical model that psychologists can use to guide their assessment and intervention efforts directed toward behavior problems in dementia patients.It may be initially tempting to look for specific approaches to specific problems. For example, one may ask how to manage assaultiveness, wandering, disruptive vocalizations, or inappropriate sexual behavior. Indeed, a number of authors have offered recommendations to manage specific behavior problems. These strategies tend to be either behavioral, environmental, or some combination of these techniques (e.g.,