More about Agoraphobic Treatment Programme (ATP)
What is Agoraphobia?
This is the name given to a group of anxieties often found together, like the fear of going out or being in public places. People suffering from agoraphobia may find it particularly stressful to be in crowded areas, travel on buses and trains or simply be away from home. Combined with this can be anxieties about social situations and possibly panic attacks. Many of our clients report a fear of being judged, humiliated or seen as ‘mad’, and this fear can maintain the avoidance of everyday situations. At worst, people can become prisoners in their own homes, unable to manage daily tasks that others take for granted, such as going shopping or visiting a friend.
What do we offer?
Once you contact our service, we will arrange a suitable time for you to attend an assessment where we will be able to agree if this is the right support for you. We understand that you may not be able to come to our offices due to the nature of your problems and are very pleased to arrange home visits or alternative arrangements as necessary.
You will then be introduced to a volunteer that will visit you in your own home or at another pre-arranged place for an hour on a weekly basis for up to a year. Together you will determine your own goals for recovery. The progress is then reviewed by the manager, the volunteer and yourself every four months.
Their main task is to form a trusting relationship and plan graded exposure exercises to encourage and enable you to overcome your fears by directly facing the situations that provoke them. Other CBT interventions that have been found useful in dealing with anxiety are de-sensitisation, relaxation and breathing exercises, visualization exercises, positive talk, panic control, build on strengths and skills or positive planning.
Who are our volunteers?
Our volunteers are usually graduates in counselling psychology or psychotherapy. They participate on a three-day intensive training programme that combines theory, discussion and experiential activities. We also focus on developing the valued characteristics of ordinary relationships, as many of our clients are socially isolated.
Volunteers are expected to attend a fortnightly supervision group. This provides an opportunity for volunteers to review the progress of their work, discuss any difficulties with the rest of the team, and to plan ahead.
Monitoring
We monitor clients’ satisfaction with the service by an anonymous questionnaire we ask people to return to us once their programme has ended. So far, there has been a very positive feedback on Westminster Mind as a whole and the service they receive from the ASS in particular. People seemed to value “the support from my link worker”, “attention and courteous staff” and “being able to speak in confidence”. They also agreed that if they knew a friend that had similar problems, they would recommend this service.
