A CASE STUDY OF ANXIETY: EFFECTIVENESS OF SELF-HELP BASED CBT FOR REDUCING ANXIETY IN MOTHER OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM

Abstract

The aim of this case study was to assess the effectiveness of CBT based self-help manual in helping the mother of a child with Autism to reduce her anxiety. The client was a 30 years old female with moderate levels of anxiety. The self-help manual was used with intend to treat moderate levels of anxiety by working on the awareness about thought patterns, cognitive errors and feelings. Pretest and Posttest assessment of anxiety level was done through the anxiety sub-scale of Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) Urdu version (Habib, 2010). Author of this study prepared audios of the manual content and approved them by the panel of experts including Professors of Psychology with the permissions of the author of the manual for the comprehensive understanding. The client was then trained to use the manual and audios after which she was required to practice them independently for 8 weeks with intermittent follow ups. Results showed a significant decrease in client’s anxiety. This is significant that when there is limited access to formal therapy or lack of willingness to opt it, self-help approaches are meaningful support to improve mental well-being.