Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Youth with Anxiety (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for: Clinical Psychologists, Counselors, and Marriage & Family Therapists

Course By: Ken Springer, PhD

Content By: Kodal, A., Fjermestad, K., Bjelland, I., Gjestad, R., Öst, L. G.,  Bjaastad, J. F., Haugland, B. S. M., Havik, O. E., Heiervang, E., & Wergeland, G. J. (2018). Long-term effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 53, 58-67.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2017.11.003

Course Description: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been shown to have short-term benefits for youth (i.e., children and adolescents) with anxiety. Studies on the long-term benefits of CBT for this population are limited in generalizability, as they have been conducted in university clinics and have yielded mixed outcomes. The present study examined long-term outcomes among youth receiving CBT for anxiety disorders in community mental health clinics. Participants ranged in age from 8 to 15 at the outset of the study and had been diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and/or generalized anxiety disorder. Analyses conducted two to six years post-treatment revealed significant improvement in anxiety symptoms, loss of inclusion diagnoses in 53% of participants, and loss of the principal diagnosis in 63% of participants. No differences in outcomes were found between those who received individual versus group CBT. These and other results illustrate the long-term effectiveness of CBT in community mental health clinics and have implications for the use of CBT to support youth with anxiety disorders.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the rationale for the study, the CBT protocols, and the methods for gathering data on participant outcomes
2. Describe the main findings of the study concerning the long-term effectiveness of individual and group CBT
3. Integrate the strengths and limitations of the study, and summarize the clinical implications for using CBT to treat youth with anxiety disorders

Course Outline:

• Read and understand Long-term effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with anxiety disorders
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Understand the rationale for examining whether CBT has long-term benefits for youth with anxiety disorders
• Understand how CBT was administered as well as how long-term anxiety- and mood-related outcomes were measured
• Analyze the long-term effectiveness of individual and group CBT at reducing anxiety
• Integrate the study's key findings, strengths, limitations, and clinical implications
• Work through the post-test questions, using the article as the sole basis for your answers
• Revisit the article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the long-term benefits of CBT for youth with anxiety disorders

Approvals: