Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety-Related Disorders (BTAD) (June 2024)

Course Overview

BTAD is a simple, effective, and transdiagnostic treatment that focuses on reducing, eliminating, and countering safety behaviors to treatment anxiety-related conditions. It is well known that safety behaviors maintain, and often increase, anxiety ( Cougle & Summer, 2018; Korte et al., 2018). It is also established that anxiety disorders confers and independently higher risk of suicidal ideation and attempts, even when controlling for comorbidity (Thimodeau et al., 2013). In BTAD, education about safety behaviors and anxiety is provided. Through use of the Safety Behavior Assessment Form (SBAF) (Goodson et al., 2016), monitoring strategies, and collaborative exploration, a list of central safety behaviors is identified (along with fears/beliefs fueling the safety behaviors). Following, these safety behaviors are systematically reduced and/or eliminated. The second phase includes safety behavior countering which allows for direct confrontation of the safety behavior and underlying fear/belief. The program includes a host of strategies for eliminating and countering safety behaviors. Clients and therapists work collaboratively in selecting the safety behaviors to address and methods for doing so, however, the client always has the final say. There are two standard safety behavior elimination procedures which are part of the vast majority of treatment cases. These include: accepting anxiety and attention training. Accepting anxiety reverses the negative cycle of anxiety-related suppression/avoidance, which worsens anxiety over time (Hoffman et al., 2009) . Attention training facilitates greater attentional flexibility allowing clients to better disengage from negative attentional states or safety behaviors (worry, vigilance, monitoring, and rumination)(Vogel et al., 2016). As clients systematically reduce and counter their safety behaviors their anxiety decreases and their self-efficacy increases. BTAP also includes special consideration modules that may be used if necessary. These modules provide extra information and guidance on specific categories of safety behaviors that can prove challenging to address. Special consideration modules include: attentional safety behaviors, checking and reassurance, withdrawal and avoidance, and rumination. Some examples of special modules are: attentional safety behaviors (vigilance, monitoring, worry) which have been shown to be central maintaining factors and are often difficult to address. Specific techniques and recommendations are provided to help clients better reduce these deleterious safety behaviors. Rumination, while an attentional safety behavior, has been given its own special consideration module because of its toxic effects across the spectrum of mental health and quality of life. Moreover, rumination can be an important prognostic factor associated with suicidal ideation or attempts especially if the content of the rumination deals with belonging or perceived burdensomeness (Chu et al., 2017). Withdrawal and avoidance is another special module. Withdrawal (and avoidance) are important markers of quality of life and also relate feelings of belonging and loneliness, in addition to chronic anxiety. Checking and reassurance are particularly detrimental in the development of self-efficacy and maintaining anxious preoccupation. The final session involves “wrap up and moving forward” in which the client writes his own therapy guide for moving forward. Research has shown large effect sizes for safety behavior elimination therapy. Similarly, outcome data from social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic, and anxiety disorder NOS cases will be presented. Additionally, education, clinical examples, pertinent research findings, clinical demonstrations, role-plays, and experiential exercises are all used to help participants gain a better understanding of BTAD. Client workbooks and therapists guides are provided to participants as well. Finally, case consultation for BTAD cases will be offered to interested participants.

Learning Objectives

Course Bibliography

Approvals

Cognitive Behavior Institute, #1771, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 06/30/2022-06/30/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 7 total credits including 6 clinical continuing education credits.

Cognitive Behavior Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0098 and the State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0646 and the State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0216.

Cognitive Behavior Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7117. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cognitive Behavior Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Cognitive Behavior Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cognitive Behavior Institute maintains responsibility for content of this program. Social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors in Pennsylvania can receive continuing education from providers approved by the American Psychological Association. Since CBI is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education, licensed social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors in Pennsylvania will be able to fulfill their continuing education requirements by attending CBI continuing education programs. For professionals outside the state of Pennsylvania, you must confirm with your specific State Board that APA approved CE's are accepted towards your licensure requirements. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) has a process for approving individual programs or providers for continuing education through their Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. ACE approved providers and individual courses approved by ASWB are not accepted by every state and regulatory board for continuing education credits for social workers. Every US state other than New York accepts ACE approval for social workers in some capacity: New Jersey only accepts individually approved courses for social workers, rather than courses from approved providers. The West Virginia board requires board approval for live courses, but accepts ASWB ACE approval for other courses for social workers. For more information, please see https://www.aswb.org/ace/ace-jurisdiction-map/. Whether or not boards accept ASWB ACE approved continuing education for other professionals such as licensed professional counselors or licensed marriage and family therapists varies by jurisdiction. To determine if a course can be accepted by your licensing board, please review your board’s regulations or contact them. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.

Accommodation Information: Our webinars are available to anyone who is able to access the internet. For those who are vision impaired graphs and videos are described verbally. We also read all of the questions and comments that are asked of our speakers. All questions and comments are made via the chat function. For those that require it, please contact us at info@cbicenterforeducation.com for more information on and/or to request closed-captioning.

TICKETS TO THIS WEBINAR ARE NON-REFUNDABLE/NON-TRANSFERABLE. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ISSUED FOR ANY REASON OTHER THAN THE EVENT’S CANCELLATION BY CBI