Thérapie comportementale cognitive des troubles émotionnels liés à l'anxiété de séparation

Separation Anxiety Disorder is one of the most frequent mental disorders in children. The separation anxiety family treatment program (SAFT) is the only known cognitive behavioral therapy program for children with separation anxiety and their families. The first part consists of four weekly sessions with the child and four weekly sessions with the parents. Children and parents receive psychoeducation about anxiety, learn to recognize and reframe irrational beliefs about separation situations, expand their repertoire of coping strategies, and are introduced to the rationale for exposure. The second part of the treatment consists of eight weekly family sessions followed by a short parent-only session. During the family sessions, in vivo exposure is planned and put into place. The parent-only portions of the family sessions involve reframing parental irrational beliefs about separation, developing parenting strategies, and practicing parental behavior during exposure. An existing study shows the efficacy of the disorder-specific family-based therapy in comparison to waitlist controls in young children with separation anxiety disorder.