Table 1. Psychotherapy interventions for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.

*First-line treatment, particularly for mild to moderate cases

[2,4-12,14-16]

Therapy	Indication	Most efficacious components	Predictors of greater treatment response
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)*	Generalized, separation, and social anxiety disorders; ages ≥6 years old	Exposure therapy: the patient is repeatedly exposed to anxiety-provoking objects or situations, typically in a stepwise fashion of increasing intensity. Cognitive restructuring: challenging previously established thought patterns	Diagnoses of non-social anxiety disorders. Longer duration of overall treatment. Greater parental involvement when treating younger children. Positive expectations regarding the value of exposure-based CBT. The addition of social skills training
Social effectiveness therapy for children (SET-C)	Social anxiety disorder; ages 7-17	Exposure therapy: the patient is repeatedly exposed to anxiety-provoking objects or situations, typically in a stepwise fashion of increasing intensity. Social skills training: group-based learning of various social skills, including conversation, listening and telephone skills, and making and maintaining relationships	Decreases in child-reported loneliness throughout treatment
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)	Generalized, separation, and social anxiety disorders; ages ≥6 years old	Psychological flexibility: the ability to accept experiences and commit to value-based behaviors. Exposure therapy: the patient is repeatedly exposed to anxiety-provoking objects or situations, typically in a stepwise fashion of increasing intensity. Acceptance: choosing to tolerate negative thoughts and feelings rather than avoiding or attempting to change them. Cognitive defusion: observing own thought processes	Higher pretreatment psychological flexibility