Psychosocial treatment for anxiety encompasses a range of psychological therapies that are used to identify, describe, predict and finally control anxiety responses. Psychosocial treatment in particular is the treatment of anxiety brought on by social situations or stressors. The classic treatment for anxiety-based disorders is a three-pronged approach that is usually carried out by a licensed psychologist.
Psychoanalysis
The first step in treating this particular type of anxiety disorder is to undergo psychoanalytical treatment. Psychoanalytical treatment usually consists of a series of meetings with a licensed psychologist to ascertain the causes of a patient's anxiety. Also, the time spent during psychoanalysis helps strengthen the relationship between doctor and patient, so that further therapies will be more effective. Psychoanalytical treatment usually encompasses descriptions of when the anxiety happens, inquiries as to why the patient feels this anxiety might happen, and the patient's personal history. A particular focus is placed on childhood experiences at this point in the therapy.
Emotion focused coping
After a series is psychoanalytical inventories the individual will begin what is known as emotion focused coping. The purpose of this therapy is to utilize the information obtained during psychoanalysis and attempt to make the patient understand why she is feeling this anxiety. Once a consensus between doctor and patient is reached, the goal shifts towards helping the patient change the way she views certain stimuli and psychosocial environments so that she does not react with anxiety. An example of this is the reluctance of a rape victim to go out in public due to a fear of men. The anxiety is easily understood, and the goal is to change the way she feels about men in general. In this case, the objective would be to try to help the patient understand that interactions with all men will not result in a traumatic event.
Problem focused coping
The final step in relieving anxiety with psychosocial treatment is to implement problem focused coping. The goal of problem focused coping is to draw out a set of direct actions that the patient can take. It is in this therapeutic stage that the patient actually begins the process of overcoming her anxiety. A classic example of this is the agoraphobic who slowly but surely makes strides to become more publicly active. It is important that the steps taken during problem focused coping are small and that the patient is comfortable at each stage of the therapy. If the patient feels uncomfortable or is reluctant to try a specific tactic it is important that a new approach be thought out. If this does not happen the patient may lose trust in the psychologist and regress to an earlier stage of the therapy.
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