Self-help Guided by Lay Providers for Anxiety in Older Adults

Self-help based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy and guided by a lay provider. Treatment lasts 15 weeks, is based on a participant's manual, and consists of relaxation, differentiation of the main types of worries, learning to tolerate uncertainty, questioning false beliefs about worries, problem solving, cognitive exposure, and planning pleasant activities. Weekly telephone sessions with the lay provider serve to provide support.

Participants have a 15-week wait period during which they receive a 15-minute telephone call from the local professional research assistant on three occasions separated by four-week intervals. The purpose of these calls is to encourage the participant to persevere until the start of treatment and to identify potential negative effects that could be associated with the waiting period. Participants receive self-help guided by a lay provider after the waiting period.