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Anxiety

Fear and its associated reactions (freeze, flight, fight) can be useful responses to a dangerous or threatening situation. However, clients suffering from anxiety disorders experience these reactions too strongly, too often, or in inappropriate situations - and they can be distressing and exhausting. Psychology Tools can help you with CBT for anxiety - our anxiety worksheets are designed to help clients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), health anxiety (hypochondriasis), panic disorder, phobias, and social anxiety. Read more

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90 of 190 resources

Panic Formulation

The aim of a formulation is to help the client and therapist to come to a shared understanding of what a client is experiencing. The Panic Formulation ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/panic-formulation

Worksheets

Panic Symptom Tracker

Self-monitoring of thoughts, feelings, and symptoms is an essential skill in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This symptom tracker helps clients to ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/panic-symptom-tracker

Worksheets

Peaceful Place (Audio)

The Peaceful Place exercise guides the listener through a short imagery exercise designed to facilitate the visualization of soothing imagery and noti ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/peaceful-place-audio

Audio

Performance And The Yerkes-Dodson Law

The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that performance increases with mental arousal (stress) but only up to a point: when an individuals’ level of stress ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/performance-and-the-yerkes-dodson-law

Information handouts

Perspective-Taking

Cognitive restructuring techniques in CBT teach clients ways of analyzing situations in ways that might initially be unfamiliar. A simple way of intro ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/perspective-taking

Worksheets

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive relaxation training originated in the 1930’s as a treatment for tension and anxiety. Edmund Jacobsen developed a systematic and lengthy ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/progressive-muscle-relaxation

Exercises

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Older versions of a resource may be archived in the event ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/progressive-muscle-relaxation-edition-1

Archived

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (Audio)

The Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise guides the listener through a sequence in which muscle groups are tensed and relaxed. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/progressive-muscle-relaxation-audio

Audio

Psychology Tools For Living Well

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help your clients to live happier and more fulfilling lives. Psychology Tools for Living Well is a self-help course ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/psychology-tools-for-living-well

Books & Chapters

Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic

This helpful workbook will teach you everything you need to know about panic. Drawing upon the evidence base, Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

Raisin Exercise (Audio)

The Raisin Exercise is a short mindfulness exercise encouraging present-moment awareness of the senses, connecting with taste, touch and smell while y ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/raisin-exercise-audio

Audio

Recognizing Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is characterized by a marked fear of situations such as open spaces or public places. Recognizing Agoraphobia compares the DSM-5 and ICD- ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/recognizing-agoraphobia

Information handouts

Recognizing Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by an extended period of excessive worry. The DSM also emphasizes the importance of the client’s ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/recognizing-generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

Information handouts

Recognizing Panic Attacks And Panic Disorder

Panic attacks are characterized by sudden surges of intense fear or discomfort, and panic disorder is characterized by recurrent panic attacks. Recogn ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/recognizing-panic-attacks-and-panic-disorder

Information handouts

Recognizing Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by fear regarding social situations and individuals with social anxiety are concerned about negative evaluati ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/recognizing-social-anxiety-disorder

Information handouts

Recognizing Specific Phobia

Specific phobia is characterized by marked fear or anxiety regarding a particular object or situation. Recognizing Specific Phobia compares the DSM-5 ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/recognizing-specific-phobia

Information handouts

Relaxed Breathing

Practising Relaxed Breathing serves to reduce physiological arousal and can be an excellent grounding technique. This client information handout descr ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing

Exercises

Relaxed Breathing Exercise 1 (Audio)

Breathing Exercise 1 guides the listener through simple instructions to make their breathing slower, deeper, and more regular. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing-exercise-1-audio

Audio

Relaxed Breathing Exercise 2 (Audio)

Breathing Exercise 2 uses the imagery of inflating a balloon to help the listener make their breathing slower, deeper, and more regular. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing-exercise-2-audio

Audio

Relaxed Breathing Exercise 3 (Audio)

Breathing Exercise 3 uses the imagery of breathing air of different colours to help the listener make their breathing slower, deeper, and more regular ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing-exercise-3-audio

Audio

Relaxed Breathing Exercise 4 (Audio)

Breathing Exercise 4 guides the listener through simple instructions to breathe in a more relaxed fashion. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing-exercise-4-audio

Audio

Relaxed Breathing Record Form

Practicing relaxed breathing serves to reduce physiological arousal and can be an excellent grounding technique. This record form helps clients to mon ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/relaxed-breathing-record-form

Worksheets

Responses To Threat: Freeze, Appease, Flight, Fight

Human beings are programmed to respond automatically in a variety of ways to a threat including freezing, escaping, and dissociation. Traumatized indi ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/responses-to-threat-freeze-appease-flight-fight

Information handouts

Rumination - Self-Monitoring Record

Developing self-monitoring skills teaches clients to systematically observe and record specific targets such as their own thoughts, body feelings, emo ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/rumination-self-monitoring-record

Worksheets

Rumination Diary (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Rumination – Self-Monitoring Record. Older versions of a resource may be archived ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/rumination-diary-archived

Archived

Rumination Self-Monitoring Record (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Rumination Self-Monitoring Record. Older versions of a resource may be archived in the e ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/rumination-self-monitoring-record-archived

Archived

Safety Behaviors

Safety behaviors are actions carried out with the intention of preventing a feared catastrophe. In the short-term they often give a sense of relief, b ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/safety-behaviors

Information handouts

Safety Behaviors Example

Information handouts

Selective Attention

Selective attention can be conceptualized as a maintaning process (mechanism) within CBT. Biases in perception can lead to biases in information proce ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/selective-attention

Information handouts

Self-Monitoring Record (Universal)

Worksheets

Sensory Grounding Using Smells (Audio)

The Sensory Grounding Using Smells exercise is an audio track from the Psychology Tools For Overcoming PTSD Audio Collection. It is designed to teach ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/sensory-grounding-using-smells-audio

Audio

Sensory Grounding Using Your Five Senses (Audio)

The Sensory Grounding Using Your Five Senses exercise is an audio track from the Psychology Tools For Overcoming PTSD Audio Collection. It is designed ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/sensory-grounding-using-your-five-senses-audio

Audio

Social Anxiety Formulation

People suffering from social anxiety disorder (previously known as social phobia) experience persistent fear or anxiety concerning social or performan ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/social-anxiety-formulation

Worksheets

Stages Of Social Anxiety

Stages of Social Anxiety is a CBT worksheet to explore maintaining factors with a client and then to explore possible treatment strategies. ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/stages-of-social-anxiety

Worksheets

Taking Panic Out Of The Body

A critical driver of panic reactions is catastrophic misinterpretation of body sensations. This worksheet helps therapists to teach clients about the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/taking-panic-out-of-the-body

Exercises

Testing Anxious And Panicky Predictions (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter introduces beh ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/testing-anxious-and-panicky-predictions-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

The Experience Of Panic (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter describes the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/the-experience-of-panic-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

The Parts Of Your Panic (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter helps a client ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/the-parts-of-your-panic-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

Theory A / Theory B

Human beings actively try to understand their world and what happens to them. However, these understanding can be inaccurate or unhelpful. Worse, unhe ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/theorya-theoryb

Worksheets

Theory A / Theory B (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Theory A / Theory B . Older versions of a resource may be archived in the event that the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/theorya-theoryb-edition-1

Archived

Therapy Blueprint (Universal)

A therapy blueprint is CBT tool which summarizes the work a therapist and patient have completed together. It represents the past (the problems, what ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/therapy-blueprint-universal

Worksheets

Therapy Blueprint For Panic

A therapy blueprint represents the past (the problems, what maintained them), the present (the therapy itself, new knowledge learned and skills develo ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/therapy-blueprint-for-panic

Worksheets

Therapy Blueprint For Social Anxiety

Worksheets

Thinking Versus Sensing (Audio)

Thinking Versus Sensing is a short mindfulness exercise to demonstrate the difference between thinking about our experience and sensing it directly. E ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thinking-versus-sensing-audio

Audio

Thought Record – Courtroom Trial

Thought records are commonly used in CBT to help people to evaluate their negative automatic thoughts for accuracy and bias. The Thought Record – Co ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-record-courtroom-trial

Worksheets

Thought Record (Evidence For And Against)

CBT Thought Records exist in multiple variants, depending on the needs and abilities of the client. This Thought Record (Evidence For And Against) is ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thought-record-evidence-for-and-against

Worksheets

Thoughts In Panic (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter discusses the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/thoughts-in-panic-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

Transdiagnostic Processes

A ‘transdiagnostic process’ is the label given to a mechanism which is present across disorders and which is either a risk or maintaining factor f ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/transdiagnostic-processes

Information handouts

TRAP TRAC

TRAP & TRAC worksheets can be usefully used as part of a behavioral activation programme as a way of overcoming responses which result in avoidanc ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/trap-trac

Exercises

Trauma, Dissociation, And Grounding (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Trauma And Dissociation. Older versions of a resource may be archived in the event that ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/trauma-dissociation-and-grounding

Archived

Types Of Dissociation

The Types Of Dissociation information handout is designed for clients who have experienced trauma and describes dissociation using accessible terminol ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/types-of-dissociation

Information handouts

Uncertainty Beliefs – Experiment Record

Situations which are uncertain, novel, or ambiguous trigger a state of uncertainty. Evidence indicates that individuals who are dispositionally high i ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/uncertainty-beliefs-experiment-record

Worksheets

Understanding Depersonalization And Derealization

Our ‘Understanding…’ series is a collection of psychoeducation guides for common mental health conditions. Friendly and explanatory, they are co ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/understanding-depersonalization-and-derealization

Guides

Understanding Fears And Phobias

Guides

Understanding Generalized Anxiety And Worry

Guides

Understanding Health Anxiety

Guides

Understanding My Panic

The Cognitive Behavioral Model Of Panic identifies catastrophic misinterpretation of body sensations as a criticial maintenance factor which serves to ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/understanding-my-panic

Information handouts

Understanding Panic

Guides

Understanding Social Anxiety

Guides

Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Human thinking is subject to a number of characteristic biases. In the 1960s, Aaron Beck identified several of these biases which were common in his d ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/unhelpful-thinking-styles

Information handouts

VAS Scale

Visual analogue scales (VAS's) can be used for subjective ratings of emotion or other sensations such as pain. This is a handy VAS scale in the style ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/vas-scale

Exercises

What Causes Panic? (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter introduces the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-causes-panic-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

What Does Exercise Do For the Mind And Body?

Exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression and anxiety and research suggests that in the treatment of depression, exercise interventions l ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-does-exercise-do-for-the-mind-and-body

Information handouts

What Does The Brain Do? (Lobes and Regions)

The human brain is the center of the body’s nervous system and the seat of cognition. It is responsible for everything that we do, feel and perceive ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-does-the-brain-do-lobes-and-regions

Information handouts

What Does The Brain Do? (Lobes)

The human brain is the centre of the body’s nervous system and the seat of cognition. It is responsible for everything that we do, feel, and perceiv ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-does-the-brain-do-lobes

Information handouts

What If

"What if...?" questions are a powerful way in which anxious individuals generate or maintain anxious states, particularly in generalized anxiety disor ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-if

Exercises

What Is A Panic Attack?

Panic attacks are single episodes of intense fear or discomfort that begin suddenly and reach a peak within minutes. The cognitive behavioral model of ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-a-panic-attack

Information handouts

What Is A Panic Attack? (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter describes the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-a-panic-attack-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

What Is Exposure Therapy?

Exposure is an effective evidence-based treatment for fear. This information handout describes the key principles of Exposure Therapy. Clients who are ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-exposure-therapy

Information handouts

What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Our ‘What Is … ?’ series is a collection of one-page information handouts for common mental health conditions. Friendly and explanatory, handout ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-is-generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

Information handouts

What Is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Information handouts

What Keeps Depersonalization And Derealization Going?

The “What Keeps It Going?” series is a set of one-page diagrams explaining how common mental health conditions are maintained. Friendly and concis ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-keeps-depersonalization-and-derealization-going

Information handouts

What Keeps Fears And Phobias Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Generalized Anxiety And Worry Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Health Anxiety Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Low Self-Esteem Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Going?

The "What Keeps It Going?" series is a set of one-page diagrams explaining how common mental health conditions are maintained. Friendly and concise, t ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/what-keeps-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd-going

Information handouts

What Keeps Panic Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Going?

Information handouts

What Keeps Social Anxiety Going?

Information handouts

Why Do I Keep Getting Panic Attacks? (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter describes how ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/why-do-i-keep-getting-panic-attacks-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

Window Of Tolerance

The window of tolerance concept was coined by Dan Siegel in his 1999 book The Developing Mind. Siegel proposes that everyone has a range of intensitie ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/window-of-tolerance

Information handouts

Working With Anxious Thoughts And Predictions (Psychology Tools For Overcoming Panic)

Psychology Tools for Overcoming Panic takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to this common anxiety problem. This chapter introduces the ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/working-with-anxious-thoughts-and-predictions-psychology-tools-for-overcoming-panic

Books & Chapters

Worry – Self-Monitoring Record

The Worry – Self-Monitoring Record worksheet is designed to help clients capture information about situations where they engaged in worry. Consisten ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-self-monitoring-record

Worksheets

Worry Decision Tree

Worry is a cognitive process that involves thinking about problems that might happen in a way that can leave you feeling anxious or apprehensive. Not ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-decision-tree

Exercises

Worry Diary (Archived)

NOTE: An improved version of this resource is available here: Worry – Self-Monitoring Record. Older versions of a resource may be archived in t ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-diary-archived

Archived

Worry Postponement

Worry postponement ("worry time") is often prescribed as an exploratory or standalone intervention relatively early in the treatment of GAD, but ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-postponement

Exercises

Worry Thought Record

Anxiety stems from negative predictions about the future (and also from assumptions that one will not be able to cope with the magnitude of the threat ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/worry-thought-record

Worksheets

Your Stone Age Brain

Your Stone Age Brain is an information handout which describes the freeze-flight-fight response: a set of evolutionary adaptations that increase the c ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/your-stone-age-brain

Information handouts

Your Stone Age Brain (CYP)

Your Stone Age Brain is an information handout designed to stimulate discussion with anxious children & adolescents. It describes the freeze-fligh ... https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/your-stone-age-brain-cyp

Information handouts

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Assessment

Brief Fear Of Negative Evaluation Scale | Leary | 1983
- Scale download archived copy
Fear Questionnaire (FQ) (Phobia) | Marks, Matthews | 1979
- Scale ~~download~~ archived copy
- Marks, I. M., & Mathews, A. M. (1979). Brief standard self-rating for phobic patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 17(3), 263-267.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) | Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, Lowe | 2006
- Scale download
- Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder. Arch Inern Med. 2006;166:1092-1097.
Hamilton Rating Scale For Anxiety (HAM-A) | Hamilton | 1959
- Scale ~~download~~ archived copy
- Hamilton, M. (1959).The assessment of anxiety states by rating. British Journal of Medical Psychology 32, 50-55.
Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) | Salkovskis, Rimes, Warwick, Clark | 2002
- Scale download
- Salkovskis, P. M., Rimes, K. A., Warwick, H. M. C., & Clark, D. M. (2002). The Health Anxiety Inventory: development and validation of scales for the measurement of health anxiety and hypochondriasis. Psychological Medicine, 32(05), 843-853.
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR) | Liebowitz | 1987
- Scale download archived copy
Mobility Inventory For Agoraphobia (MIA) | Chambless, Caputo, Jasin, Gracely, Williams | 1985
- Scale ~~download~~ archived copy
- Chambless, D. L., Caputo, G. C., Jasin, S. E., Gracely, E. J., & Williams, C. (1985). The mobility inventory for agoraphobia. Behaviour research and therapy, 23(1), 35-44.
Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) | Shear, Brown, Barlow, Money, Sholomskas, Woods, Gorman, Papp | 1997
- Scale ~~download~~ archived copy
- Shear, M. K., Brown, T. A., Barlow, D. H., Money, R., Sholomskas, D. E., Woods, S. W., … & Papp, L. A. (1997). Multicenter collaborative panic disorder severity scale. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154(11), 1571-1575.
Penn State Worry Questionnaire | Meyer, Miller, Metzger, Borkovec | 1990
- Scale ~~download~~ archive.org
- Meyer, T. J., Miller, M. L., Metzger, R. L., & Borkovec, T. D. (1990). Development and validation of the penn state worry questionnaire. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28(6), 487-495.
Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale | Spence | 1998
- Scale download archived copy
- Scale website link archived copy
- Spence, S. H. (1998). A measure of anxiety symptoms among children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36 (5), 545-566.
Severity Measure For Agoraphobia | Craske, Wittchen, Bogels, Stein, Andrews, Lebu | 2013
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
Severity Measure For Generalized Anxiety Disorder | Craske, Wittchen, Bogels, Stein, Andrews, Lebeu | 2013
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
- Scale – Child Age 11-17 download archived copy
Severity Measure For Panic Disorder | Craske, Wittchen, Bogels, Stein, Andrews, Lebeu | 2013
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
Severity Measure For Social Anxiety Disorder | Craske, Wittchen, Bogels, Stein, Andrews, Lebeu | 2013
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
- Scale – Child Age 11-17 download archived copy
Severity Measure For Specific Phobia | Craske, Wittchen, Bogels, Stein, Andrews, Lebeu | 2013
- Scale – Adult download archived copy
- Scale – Child Age 11-17 download archived copy
Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) | Connor, Davidson, Churchill, Sherwood, Weisler, Foa | 2000
- Scale download archived copy
Social Phobia Scale | Mattick, Clarke | 1995
- Scale download archived copy

Intervention

Treatment guidelines

NICE guidelines for GAD and panic | 2011 download
NICE guidelines for social anxiety disorder | 2013 download

Treatment manuals

Comprehensive cognitive behavior therapy for social phobia: a treatment manual | Ledley, Foa, Huppert, Clark | 2006 download
Treatment manual for panic disorder (IAPT treatment manual for high intensity CBT therapists) | Clark, Salkovskis | 2009 ~~download~~ archived copy
A brief cognitive-behavioural treatment for social anxiety disorder | Morris, Mensink, Stewart ~~download~~ archived copy

Useful resources

Assertive defense of the self | Padesky | 1985 ~~download~~ archived copy
Interoceptive exposure definition | White, Basden, Barlow ~~download~~ archived copy
Task concentration training definition | Bögels download archived copy
Task concentration training and fear of blushing | Bögels, Mulkens, De Jong | 1997 ~~download~~ archived copy

Information Handouts

Generalized anxiety and mindfulness

What is generalised anxiety disorder? download archived copy
What is mindfulness? download archived copy
Mindfulness and letting go download archived copy
How worry works download archived copy
Accepting uncertainty download archived copy
Postpone your worry download archived copy
Coping with stress download archived copy

Health anxiety

Health anxiety – a self-help guide ~~download~~ archived copy

Panic

What is panic? download
Biology & Psychology of Panic download
Vicious Cycle of Anxiety download
Progressive Muscle Relaxation download
Behavioural Experiments download
Situational Exposure download
Physical Sensations and Panic download

Panic

Panic self-help booklet by | Charles Young, Alison Hunte, Jessica Newell, Pat Valian | 2011 ~~download~~ archived copy
Panic self-help booklet from Glasgow STEPS including information about panic and self-help interventions ~~download~~ archived copy

Phobia

Phobia self-help booklet from Glasgow STEPS including information about phobia and self-help interventions ~~download~~ archived copy

Social anxiety

What is social anxiety? download
What can be done about social anxiety? download
Calming technique: breathing download
Progressive muscle relaxation download
Improving how you feel download
Thinking and feeling download
Analysing your thinking download
Changing your thinking download
Unhelpful thinking styles download
What are core beliefs? download
Situational exposure download
Staying healthy download

Social anxiety

‘Shyness and social anxiety – a self help guide’ ~~download~~ archived copy

Worksheets

Generalized anxiety and mindfulness

Postpone your worry download
Letting go with mindfulness download
Accepting uncertainty download
Challenging intolerance of uncertainty download

Panic

Breathing Rate Record download
Anxiety Symptoms Record download
Monitoring Relaxation download
Situational Exposure Diary download
Internal Exposure Record download

Social anxiety

Anxiety symptoms record download
Breathing rate record download
Monitoring your relaxation level download
Weekly activity schedule download
Weekly goals record download
Making the connection download
Thought diary 1 download
Thought diary 2 download
Thought diary 3 download
Thought diaries (Tri-fold) download
Core beliefs worksheet download
Situational exposure download
Situational exposure diary download
Healthy me download
Goal setting download

Self-Help Programmes

Self-help programme for anxiety

Introduction to the pack ~~download~~ archived copy
Introduction to anxiety ~~download~~ archived copy
Physical effects of anxiety ~~download~~ download
Recognizing anxious thinking ~~download~~ archived copy
Dealing with our anxious thinking ~~download~~ archived copy
Effects of anxiety on mood and behavior ~~download~~ archived copy
Dealing with setbacks and final thoughts ~~download~~ archived copy

Self-help programme for generalized anxiety and mindfulness

Overview of generalised anxiety download
Overview of worrying download
Challenging uncontrollability beliefs download
Attention training download
Challenging danger beliefs download
Challenging positive beliefs download
Problem solving download
Helpful thinking download
Accepting uncertainty download
Self-management plan download

Self-help programme for health anxiety

Understanding health anxiety download
How health anxiety develops download
What keeps health anxiety going? download
Reducing your focus on health anxiety symptoms and worries download
Re-evaluating unhelpful health-related thinking download
Reducing checking and reassurance seeking download
Challenging avoidance and safety behaviors download
Adjusting health rules and assumptions download
Healthy living and self-management planning download

Self-help programme for panic

Overview of panic download
More about panic download
The thinking-feeling connection download
The ABC’s of thinking and feeling download
Unhelpful thinking styles download
Detective work and disputation download
Evaluation and balanced thinking download
Core beliefs download
Coping with physical alarms – Exposure part 1 download
Coping with physical alarms – Exposure part 2 download
Self management download

Self-help programme for social anxiety

Understanding social anxiety download archived copy
Overcoming negative thinking download archived copy
Overcoming avoidance download archived copy
Behavioral experiment stepladders download archived copy
Safety behaviors download archived copy
The role of attention download archived copy
How I think I appear to others download archived copy
Challenging core beliefs download archived copy
Strengthening new core beliefs download archived copy
Maintaining your goals and dealing with setbacks download archived copy

Overview of social anxiety ~~download~~ archived copy
The calming technique: breathing ~~download~~ archived copy
Progressive muscle relaxation ~~download~~ archived copy
The thinking-feeling connection ~~download~~ archived copy
The ABCs of thinking and feeling ~~download~~ archived copy
Unhelpful thinking styles ~~download~~ archived copy
Detective work and disputation ~~download~~ archived copy
The end result ~~download~~ archived copy
Core beliefs ~~download~~ archived copy
Graded exposure 1 ~~download~~ archived copy
Graded exposure 2 ~~download~~ archived copy
Self management ~~download~~ archived copy

Presentations

New developments in exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders: the inhibitory learning approach | Blakey, Abramowitz | 2018 download archived copy
Desirable difficulties: optimizing exposure therapy for anxiety through inhibitory learning | Abramowitz, Jacoby, Blakey | 2018 download archived copy
GAD – a cognitive model and treatment download archived copy
Bringing Specificity to Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Conceptualization and Treatment of GAD using Intolerance of Uncertainty as the Theme of Threat | Robichaud | 2013 download archived copy

What Is Anxiety?

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

Different anxiety disorders are characterized by various foci of concern.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry about hypothetical future events.
Health anxiety is characterized by concern about one’s health or illness.
Panic attacks are characterized by an abrupt surge or intense fear.
Specific phobia is characterized by the ability for a specific object or situation to provoke marked fear or anxiety.
Social anxiety disorder is characterized by a fear of social situations in which the individual may be exposed to possible scrutiny.

In addition to disorder-specific cognitive content, individuals experiencing anxiety disorders are likely to experience physical symptoms of anxiety including:

palpitations or accelerated heart rate
sweating
trembling or shaking
dry mouth
difficulty breathing
a feeling of choking
nausea or abdominal discomfort
dizziness
derealization or depersonalization
fear of losing control or passing out
fear of dying
hot flushes or cold chills
numbness or tingling
blushing
fear of vomiting
urgency or fear of urination or defecation

Psychological Models and Theories of Anxiety

One broad conceptualization of anxiety can be summarized by an ‘anxiety equation’ (Beck, Emery, & Greenberg, 1985; Salkovskis, Forrester, & Richards, 1998):

Anxiety = (perceived probability of therapy × perceived cost or awfulness of danger)

÷ (perceived ability to cope + perceived ‘rescue factors’)

Disorder-specific ‘CBT for anxiety’ cognitive models have been developed for all of the anxiety disorders. These are helpful in that they direct the therapist’s attention toward key interpretations and behaviors that act to perpetuate the anxiety disorders. For example, the critical mechanism that Clark identified in the cognitive model of panic (1986) is that body sensations are misinterpreted catastrophically as signs of danger, with concomitant effects upon emotions, behavior, and secondary cognitions.

Evidence-Based Psychological Approaches for Working with Anxiety

Cognitive behavior therapy has a strong evidence base for treating all of the anxiety disorders. Key components of CBT for anxiety interventions include exposure to the feared situations or stimulus, and an experimental approach to test the accuracy of beliefs.

Resources for Working with Anxiety

Psychology Tools resources available for working therapeutically with anxiety may include:

psychological models of anxiety
information handouts for anxious patients
exercises for anxiety
CBT worksheets for anxiety
self-help programs for anxiety including a guide to overcoming panic attacks and panic disorder

References

Beck, A. T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R. L. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York: Basic Books.
Clark, D. M. (1986). A cognitive approach to panic. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 24(4), 461–470.
Salkovskis, P. M., Forrester, E., & Richards, C. (1998). Cognitive–behavioral approach to understanding obsessional thinking. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 173(S35), 53–63.

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What Is Anxiety?

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Psychological Models and Theories of Anxiety

Evidence-Based Psychological Approaches for Working with Anxiety

Resources for Working with Anxiety

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