Treating Stress and Anxiety: A Practitioner's Guide to Evidence-Based Approaches

by Lillian Nejad, Katerina Volny

Overview

Treating Stress and Anxiety: A Practitioner's Guide to Evidence-Based Approaches provides clinicans and therapists with a practical guide to evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural techniques that help to reduce stress and anxiety as well as enhance quality of life. The techniques discussed are aimed at adults and help clinicians deliver best practice treatments to individuals and groups with anxiety and stress related issues, as well as those who would generally benefit from building up their emotional resilience. Chapters include: Identifying presenting problems and treatment goals, Treatment for anxiety disorders, Maintaining emotional health, Relaxation and breathing exercises, The impact of thoughts on stress and anxiety, Facing fears, Relapse prevention, Group programmes.

The chapters and exercises are provided in a format that is easy to use and includes handouts and worksheets for clients that promote the self-management of stress and anxiety and the treatment of anxiety disorders. A key benefit of the book is that all the handouts and worksheets can be printed from the accompanying CD. This manual will be invaluable to a wide variety of professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, medical practitioners, mental health workers and social workers.

About the Author:
Lillian Nejad PhD is a clinical psychologist who has been working in the public mental health and community health systems in Melbourne, Australia for over ten years

About the Author:
Katerina Volny BSc is a psychologist who has worked in public mental health and private practice settings in Melbourne, Australia

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845900779
Publisher:	Crown House Publishing
Publication date:	02/01/2008
Pages:	446
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements     vii
Foreword     ix
Introduction     xiii
A brief overview of anxiety and stress     1
What is stress?     8
The effects of stress     9
What is anxiety?     10
The effects of anxiety     12
Identifying presenting problems and treatment goals     13
Psychological treatment     32
Treatment plan     33
Treatment journal     34
Stigma     35
Coping with repeated crises     39
Treatment for anxiety disorders     41
Strategies that enhance well-being and break the cycle of anxiety and panic     52
Maintaining emotional health     53
Emotional health check-up     55
Diet: fuel for a healthy mind     56
Exercise: the great mood enhancer     58
Sleep well     59
Sleep diary     64
Pleasant activities: a life worth living     65
Activity schedule     66
Time management     67
Problem solving     69
Social support     71
Relaxation and breathing exercises     73
The purpose of relaxation exercises     75
Guidelines for relaxation     76
Types of relaxation exercises     77
Breathing during a panic attack     79
The impact of thoughts on stress and anxiety     81
Thoughts, emotions, and behaviour: how they work together     83
Detecting unhelpful thoughts     86
Challenging unhelpful thoughts     87
Transforming your unhelpful thoughts into helpful thoughts     89
Tips to manage worrying     90
More strategies for managing persistent unhelpful thoughts     92
Affirmations     96
Facing fears     99
Why is it important to face your fears? The role of avoidance     102
Preparing to face your fear     104
Monitoring your fear     107
Relapse prevention     109
List of possible triggers, early warning signs, and strategies     113
Preventing relapse     114
Prevention plan     117
Other issues related to stress and anxiety     121
What is depression?     124
The effects of depression     126
Strategies to manage depression     127
Improve your mood: scheduling activities and monitoring mood     129
Substance use and abuse: when is it too much?     130
Review your substance use     131
Strategies to cut down or stop substance use     132
Getting to know your substance use patterns     134
Self-acceptance and strengthening identity     135
Anger: how is it helpful and unhelpful?     137
The triggers and consequences of anger     138
What can we do to change our experience of anger?     139
Communication styles     140
Group programmes to reduce anxiety and enhance well-being     143
Group agreement     159
Evaluation of group     160
"SMARTS" chart for stress     162
"SMART" chart for anxiety and panic     164
Recommended reading for clinicians     167
Recommended reading for clients     169
Recommended websites for clinicians and clients     171
References     173
Index     179