Which technique is used to help reduce anxiety in agoraphobic clients?

Which technique is used to help reduce anxiety in agoraphobic clients?

• A. Modeling
• B. Systematic Desensitization
• C. Counter Conditioning
• D. Defense Mechanisms

Answer: (B)

Systematic desensitization uses relaxation training combined with gradual, step-by-step exposure to feared situations, making it especially effective for agoraphobia. By moving through a hierarchy of feared places or activities while maintaining a relaxed state, the client learns that anxiety can be managed and that these situations are not inherently dangerous. The process promotes reciprocal inhibition—the anxiety response is weakened as the calm response is practiced in increasingly challenging scenarios—leading to reduced avoidance and distress over time. This approach directly targets the core problem in agoraphobia: the escalating fear tied to being in or leaving safe spaces. Modeling relies on watching others handle fear, which can help but doesn’t provide the structured, gradual exposure with relaxation that systematic desensitization offers. Counter conditioning aims to replace responses through pairing, and defense mechanisms refer to unconscious coping patterns rather than a concrete, exposure-based therapy for anxiety reduction.

Systematic desensitization uses relaxation training combined with gradual, step-by-step exposure to feared situations, making it especially effective for agoraphobia. By moving through a hierarchy of feared places or activities while maintaining a relaxed state, the client learns that anxiety can be managed and that these situations are not inherently dangerous. The process promotes reciprocal inhibition—the anxiety response is weakened as the calm response is practiced in increasingly challenging scenarios—leading to reduced avoidance and distress over time. This approach directly targets the core problem in agoraphobia: the escalating fear tied to being in or leaving safe spaces. Modeling relies on watching others handle fear, which can help but doesn’t provide the structured, gradual exposure with relaxation that systematic desensitization offers. Counter conditioning aims to replace responses through pairing, and defense mechanisms refer to unconscious coping patterns rather than a concrete, exposure-based therapy for anxiety reduction.