Post-Intervention Report

How can I use the Comprehensive Panic Profile (CPP)?

We have already discussed some ways that you can use your CPP reports in the What will my CPP report tell me? section. Let's look here at some other ways the reports can be used.

How you use your report is partially determined by which report you receive. We will discuss the benefits of each separately.

1. To improve your planning for what problems to target. The CPP helps you identify which panic problems are the worst (when compared to other sufferers) and which are relatively mild. When you understand the relative severity of each panic problem you can focus on only those that are most severe or decide to target the easiest first and work up to those that are more severe.
2. To clarify and define your specific problems. Often, panic sufferers do not make important discriminations. For example, they know that they have panic attacks but they have not identified the specific symptoms or thoughts that define their attacks. They may know that they avoid certain situations but they have not clearly identified which situations they are or how their avoidance connects to their fear of having a panic attack. The CPP allows you to make those distinctions, a process Panic Solutions has found helps the individual reduce his/her anxiety.
3. To help you decide which intervention strategies to emphasize. For example suppose that your symptom clusters are relatively mild but your cognition/thought clusters are relatively more severe. You could then decide to emphasize coping strategies that focus on learning to deal with your thoughts and pay less attention to coping strategies that focus on learning to relax.
4. To broaden the number and type of coping strategies you employ. Research has shown that people who have a number of different strategies at their disposal are most likely to learn how to reduce their panic problem. They may focus on only one or two techniques and not even realize that there are other effective approaches for dealing with their panic problem. Your CPP report will help you identify which strategies you focus on and what other strategies you may have to learn to use.
5. To learn what stage of confidence you are in with regard to employing your coping strategies. Panic sufferers frequently complain that they know what strategies to use but they just can't use them when they start to panic. The Confidence in Coping scale helps you identify the three levels of panic severity you will need to master in overcoming your panic problem.

1. To determine how you compare to other panic sufferers who have completed our self-change intervention course. Comparing your level of post-intervention functioning to theirs gives you a better idea of what to expect in terms of further change should you continue to work on overcoming your panic problem.
2. To identify specific areas in which you have made significant improvement and specific areas in which you need to continue to focus your attention. For example, sub-scales on which you are functioning at or below the average compared to other panic sufferers who have completed a self-change intervention could be set aside as target areas while you work on areas represented by sub-scales on which you score above the average.
3. To identify coping strategies that you are using effectively as well as coping strategies that you need to continue to develop. Identifying strategies on which to focus your attention will help you to make additional improvements on your panic problem.
4. To determine if you have enough confidence in your coping strategies to use them effectively in panic situations. Success in coping with panic requires that you be able to employ the techniques you have learned in situations where you are experiencing panic symptoms. The more challenging are the situations that you can employ your coping strategies the more likely you are to experience success.