Mastery of your anxiety and worry: A multimodal case study of the effectiveness of a manualized treatment for generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of manualized treatments, and clinical trials that generally support their efficacy, there is a need for further documenting the effectiveness of a manualized treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)—the Mastery of Your Anxiety and Worry (MAW) protocol. A single-case treatment outcome study using the MAW program with a woman having a principal diagnosis of GAD is presented, with interview, questionnaire, and psychophysiological assessments as markers of change. Reductions in frequency of worry and autonomic arousal, but not mean number of anxiety symptoms, were reliably observed across the 22-week treatment period, with more robust reductions in worry frequency coinciding with the treatment phases involving training in progressive muscle relaxation (i.e., clear improving trend, modest change in level) and worry exposure (i.e., clear change in level). Treatment gains were reliably maintained at 4- and 6-month follow-up. The need for treatment-client matching and a flexible idiographic approach is discussed in the context of front-line practitioners who adopt standardized treatment packages in their work with clients.