The Ten Best-Ever Anxiety Treatment Techniques: Updated Strategies to Help Even the Most Challenging Clients

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All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Speaker

Janene Donarski, PhD, LP, LMSW, CCATP Related seminars and products

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Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, LMSW, CCATP, is a fully licensed clinical psychologist and licensed master social worker who works in counseling therapy as well as psychological testing for mental health issues. Dr. Donarski specializes in neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents, adults and geriatric populations including head injury, organic issues, emotional and complex behavior disorders. Dr. Donarski works extensively with anxiety issues including panic, hypervigilance and PTSD. She trains others in techniques of relaxation, reduction of fear, and exposure therapies to reduce triggers and symptoms in daily life. She also assists in testing within the academic areas including ADHD, learning disabilities and autism for IEPs and/or 504 plans/behavior plans.

Dr. Donarski works with all population counseling/therapy, including individual, martial/couple, family, LGBTQ, and group counseling. She is a certified EMDR Level II counselor as well as a certified hypnotherapist and practitioner for Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Time Line Therapy®.

Dr. Donarski is also experienced in working with victims of violence, foster care/adoption issues, sexual issues, as well as those who are seeking sex offender treatment. She often works with attorneys as a forensic psychologist/expert witness for legal cases involving custody, guardianship, social security benefits, and criminal cases. Dr. Donarski has spoken on a variety of mental health issues, including somatic ailments, behavioral disorders and mental health concerns in the geriatric population.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Janene Donarski maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with GuideStar Eldercare. She is a paid consultant with Evergreen Certifications. Dr. Donarski receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Janene Donarski is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Michigan Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, and others. For a complete list, please contact info@pesi.com.

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Objectives

1. Determine the neurobiological causes of panic, generalized anxiety and social anxiety and clarify how this information directs treatment decisions and improves treatment compliance.
2. Implement strategies for stress management to reduce symptoms of anxiety in clients, including lifestyle changes, cognitive interventions and time management tools.
3. Perform effective use of diaphragmatic breathing techniques for physiological modulation in the treatment of anxiety.
4. Demonstrate how the process of memory reconsolidation can be utilized to reduce reactivity to trauma cues, including shame trauma, that trigger social anxiety or panic attacks and sets up effective exposures to promote rapid recovery.
5. Integrate specific clinical techniques to address persistent worry and understand how they change the neurobiology of ruminative thought patterns in clients.
6. Utilize cognitive therapy interventions with clients to manage perfectionism, procrastination and to increase flexible, creative problem solving to replace worry.

Outline

Neurobiological Basis of Panic, Worry & Anxiety

• Why & how psychotherapy works to “use the brain to change the brain”
• Pragmatic application of neuroscience to provide effective treatment
• Presentation of anxiety when comorbid with depressions
• Identify lifestyle contributions to anxiety
  • Impact of cannabis, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco/vaping, sugar
  • Physical conditions that mimic panic
• Explore potential uses for medication
  • When to refer for medication
  • Discontinuing medication under medical guidance

Purpose of Worry

• FOUR reasons why worry persists and the methods to manage those
• Cognitive interventions to reduce persistent rumination
• Eliminating worry: TWO methods to “contain worry”

Techniques That WORK to Modulate Physiology

• FOUR important lifestyle changes to reduce anxiety
• Treatment approaches that change brain function for long lasting recovery
• Activate the brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN) to increase cognitive flexibility & creative problem solving
• The right way to teach & use diaphragmatic breathing
• Use the Protocol, Predict, Prepare & Plan, to eliminate panic
• Develop the FOUR competencies of stress management
  • Eliminate stressors - Impact of constant technology use
    • Screen time, gaming, texting
    • Respond to new fears created/exacerbated by social media
  • Managing time & environment
  • Managing attitude
  • Rest & relaxation: Including the powerful Attention Restoration Theory
• Use the powerful, science-based protocol for memory reconsolidation to create successful exposures
• Change catastrophic thinking
• Utilize Mindful Awareness techniques to improve social anxiety fear
• Apply the “3 C’s” model to construct treatment for social anxiety
• Employ techniques for mindfulness to improve the response to exposure methods

Techniques for Treating Cognitive Problems of Anxiety & Panic

• The best thought-replacement methods for worry & rumination
• Identify the person with “Too Much Activity”
• Tools to reduce generalized anxiety in the highly active person
• Cognitive approaches that can intervene on anxietyproducing perfectionism and procrastination that interact with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Techniques for Managing Social Anxiety

• Address the relationship between the desire for significance & social anxiety in Millennials and the iGeneration
• Special considerations for treating different age groups, from children to aging clients
• Identify negative internal dialogue & apply methods from rational emotive therapy to counteract that
• Structure cognitive change through planned “countercognitions”
• Construct “In vivo exposure” techniques that optimize recovery from social anxiety at every age
• Utilize Emotional Freedom Techniques & “Tapping In” to diminish anticipatory anxiety

Limitations of the Research & Potential Risks

Target Audience

• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Counselors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Therapists
• Nurses
• Psychiatrists
• Physicians
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Other Mental Health Professionals