Videoteleconferencing Early Child Anxiety Treatment: A Case Study of the Internet-Delivered PCIT CALM (I-CALM) Program

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent and impairing classes of mental health difficulties affecting young children. Although the vast majority of supported programs for child anxiety focus on youth 7 years of age and older, preliminary support has emerged for exposure-based adaptations of parent-coaching interventions, that is, the Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) CALM Program, to address anxiety disorders in early childhood. Despite these advances, low rates of community service use and accessibility persist. The increased ubiquity of Internet access has positioned videoteleconferencing (VTC) as a powerful tool to overcome traditional barriers to care. The present case study details the VTC delivery of the PCIT CALM Program in the treatment of a 6-year-old boy presenting with generalized anxiety disorder and separation anxiety disorder. This case provides qualitative support for the feasibility of delivering integrated real-time parent coaching and exposure therapy to address early childhood anxiety disorders via VTC. The remission of the patient’s anxiety across treatment sessions suggests that the telehealth format may be a useful modality for the delivery of early childhood anxiety treatment. The technical considerations for the delivery of VTC therapy as well as the implications for treatment are discussed.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health [Grant number K23 MH090247].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health [Grant number K23 MH090247].