Treatment Approaches to Anxiety Disorder

You are required to choose ONE of the provided essay topics, then review and critique literature on psychological interventions to treat the diagnosis or presenting problem described in the essay topic. Review no fewer than two, and no more than three, potential interventions.

In answering the question, read the literature to understand which of the interventions is likely to be most effective for your client, including their particular problem and/or symptoms, as well as the setting.

It is essential to reach a conclusion about the most appropriate treatment to recommend for the described client based on their diagnosis/presenting problem and their symptoms.

Critical Essay Topic:

Treatment Approaches to Anxiety Disorder

Isabella is an 11-year-old girl who has been referred to see you in a CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service) setting. She lives with her mother Sarah in a nearby suburb. Isabella often has “meltdowns” where she has difficulty managing her feelings of anger and irritability. Her mother is worried that Isabella seems to have few close friends and sometimes refuses to go to school. The GP referral says that Isabella has generalised anxiety disorder. What is the treatment you would recommend for Isabella?

Starting Readings:

Fonagy, P., Cottrell, D., Phillips, J., Bevington, D., Glaser, D., & Allison, E. (2015). Anxiety disorders (Chapter 2). What works for whom? A critical review of treatments for children and adolescents, (2^nd Ed pp. 22-73). New York: Guilford Press.

Dickson, S. J., Kuhnert, R.-L., Lavell, C. H., & Rapee, R. M. (2022). Impact of psychotherapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders on global and domain-specific functioning: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review.