title: Routine treatment duration for clients attending a community based anxiety disorders clinic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the average duration of treatment at a community-based anxiety disorders clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected on primary disorder, the presence of co-occurring disorders and treatment length (both in terms of number of sessions and weeks of therapy) for 248 consecutive clients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean number of sessions was 13, and average treatment length was 29 weeks. There was substantial variation in treatment duration (range for number of sessions = 1-128, range for treatment duration = 0-186 weeks).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clients with anxiety disorders were often treated in relatively few sessions, in line with randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, a number of clients required many more sessions and were treated for a longer period of time than clients in RCTs. Health services should be cautious in mandating limits to therapy duration for anxiety disorders given the wide range in the duration of treatment for clients in our sample.
authors: Senior Clinical Psychologist, Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Hannan
authors: Senior Research Fellow, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Randwick, and; Senior Research Fellow, St John of God Health Care, Richmond Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Berle
authors: Senior Clinical Psychologist, Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Denise
authors: D
authors: Milicevic
authors: Clinical Psychologist, Nepean Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Erin
authors: E
authors: Dale
authors: Associate Professor, Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School - Nepean, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Vladan
authors: V
authors: Starcevic
authors: Conjoint Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School - Nepean, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Vlasios
authors: V
authors: Brakoulias
authors: Research Assistant, Department of Psychiatry, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors: Kirupamani
authors: K
authors: Viswasam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales
keywords: anxiety disorders; cognitive-behaviour therapy duration; naturalistic study