Treatment Resistant Anxiety, Worry & Panic: 60 Effective Strategies

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• Over 60 techniques to treat anxiety, worry and panic
• Stop the anxiety spiral early
• Identify 5 treatment pitfalls and learn evidence based approaches to correct them
• Melt panic and anxiety with innovative mindfulness strategies
• Recognize and stop negative reinforcement of panic, worry and fear of guilt
• Strategies to effectively treat
  • perfectionism
  • procrastination
  • subjugation (people pleasing)
  • hypochondriasis
  • catastrophizing/intolerance of uncertainty

Attend this seminar and learn over 60 evidence-based strategies for your clients who struggle with treatment resistant anxiety, worry and panic. You will learn how to assess clients’ anxious habits, symptoms and behaviors with cutting-edge, evidence-based strategies that are effective with even your toughest clients.

Dr. Abel will teach you how to stop the anxiety spiral early to significantly reduce the habit of worry and panic using self-controlled desensitization. Experience how evidence-based treatments can help your clients problem solve, reduce tension, and increase energy. Learn unique, effective approaches to mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and exposure, including thought-labeling, interoceptive exposure, and better-but-believable thoughts. Dr. Abel succeeds where other therapists fail.

Case studies, role plays, demonstrations and interactive discussions will be utilized in this cutting-edge seminar.

OUTLINE

Anxiety Spirals, Panic and Early Cue Detection

• Examples of Worry Spirals and Panic Spirals
• The Empirical Evidence
• 3 Benefits of Catching Anxiety Early
• A Dozen Reminders for Catching Anxiety Early

Mindfulness

• Moving Toward Relaxation vs. Away From Anxiety
• Process vs. Command
• Present Focus – Mindfulness as a Relaxation Tool
• Acceptance
• Observation of Thoughts and Emotion
• Labeling of Thoughts and Emotions
• Observation and Labeling Game

Self-Controlled Desensitization (SCD)

• Rationale for SCD
• Formal SCD
• In-Session SCD
• Active Relaxation

Cognitive Therapy

• A Quicker Better Way to Do Cognitive Therapy – B3s
• Find the Best Alternative Thoughts
• The Role of “Shoulds” and “Need To’s”
• Changing to “Want To’s”
• The Humor of Worry
• Dealing with Superstitious Worry

Problem Solving

• Worry Prevents Problem Solving–Evidence
• 4 Ways to do Problem Solving

OCD-like Symptoms in Panic and Worry

• Dangers of a Poor Assessment
• Stop Encouraging Avoidance and Escape
• Assess for Negative Reinforcement
• Removing Crutches
• Traditional Exposure
• Interoceptive Exposure for Panic
• Finding and Flooding “The Real Worry”

Reduce Tension and Increase Energy

• Progressive-Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
• Quick Alternatives to PMR
• Energy Conservation

Problems That Are Often Treatment Resistant and How to Fix It

• Hypochondriasis and Fear of Untimely Death
• Perfectionism
• Subjugation
• Catastrophizing/Intolerance of Uncertainty
• Procrastination

OBJECTIVES

• Outline the anxiety spiral and identify several evidence-based strategies (including self-controlled desensitization) to catch it early to prevent worry and panic from getting out of control.
• Identify 5 treatment pitfalls and learn evidence based approaches to correct them.
• Explain 4 unique ways to utilize mindfulness to treat worry including mindful labeling and a mindfulness game.
• Define the inverse relationship between worry and problem solving, and learn what to do about it.
• Demonstrate how panic, worry, and fear of guilt are similar to OCD and how to stop the cycle of negative reinforcement.
• Develop skills to treat problems that are often resistant to treatment: perfectionism, subjugation, procrastination, hypochondriasis, and catastrophizing/intolerance of uncertainty.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Jennifer L. Abel, Ph.D has specialized in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders for over 20 years. Before opening a private practice, she served as

the associate director of the Stress and Anxiety Disorders Institute at Penn State under the direction of the leading expert in Generalized Anxiety Disorder, T.D. Borkovec. Weekly brainstorming sessions with Dr. Borkovec and another psychologist led to numerous innovative and effective techniques based on evidence-based approaches used with anxiety disorders.

Dr. Abel, trained as a scientist-practitioner, has many articles published in professional journals on the topic of anxiety and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies invited her to write a pamphlet about Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She has been interviewed and quoted by several popular magazines (e.g., Health, Prevention, Glamour) for her expertise in Worry and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Dr. Abel presents seminars to the public as well as to professionals like Anxiety Disorders Association of America and Magellan Behavioral Health. She has appeared on “Great Day” KMOV TV (CBS Affiliate) to discuss anxiety and phobias. Her book, Active Relaxation: How to Increase Productivity and Achieve Balance by Decreasing Stress and Anxiety, has received outstanding reviews from mental health care professionals and anxious readers alike.

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To order the book, The Anxiety & Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution, please visit our product store.

To order the book, The Anxious Brain: The Neurobiological Basis of Anxiety Disorders and How to Effectively Treat Them, please visit our product store.

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