ACT for Panic Disorder: Final Steps and Recommendations

ACT interoceptive exposure

Key Points

  1. The goals of panic disorder treatment are to get to the top of the hierarchy, build back confidence, and teach clients strategies to develop a different approach to anxiety. Once the goals are accomplished, it’s important to review, and discuss the most helpful tools.
  2. Final recommendations for therapists are: being aware of messages sent via non-verbal means; being aware of our own psychological state; pausing and applying tight stimulus control if we realize we’re responding with our own anxiety; practicing interoceptive exposures on our own to understand them and accompany clients comfortably; and being aware of our and their health conditions to avoid physical risks during exposures.
  3. Finally, take the time to identify what is important in your life and the type of therapist you want to be, to prioritize and model your own values within your approach.
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Sarah’s Success

That is what a treatment plan looks like for panic disorder and agoraphobia. The goal is to help Sarah get past that 100, the peak of her exposure hierarchy. And she achieved that, after building confidence and learning strategies for a more effective approach to anxiety.

From there, you might conduct a review, including discussion of the most helpful tools. Encourage clients to write those down, because they remember them in the moment when they’re using them on a regular basis, but maybe not for good.

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