Therapist Behavior During Exposure Treatment of Agoraphobia

Therapist behaviors during treatment of agoraphobia by in vivo exposure were studied by recordings of verbal interactions between therapist and patient as rated by an independent observer. The behaviors most often used in the exposure treatment were praise, empathy, and feedback, while challenge, reminders of negative consequences, and explicit demands were used least often. Furthermore, the therapists were rather stable in their behaviors, as only three variables changed across the different phases of treatment. There was no difference in outcome for the two therapists' groups of patients, and only a few significant correlations between outcome and the different therapist behaviors emerged. The implications of these results are discussed.