Cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia: a randomized, controlled trial and cost-effectiveness analysis.

Roberge et al. (2008) tested three ways to give CBT to adults with panic disorder and agoraphobia. One group got the usual 12 individual sessions. A second group got only six short sessions. A third group got 12 sessions in a small group.

The team tracked fear levels, avoidance, and quality of life. They also counted the cost of each format.

All three formats helped equally. Fear, avoidance, and life quality improved the same amount no matter which CBT people received.

The brief and group plans cost less money while keeping the same gains. Shorter or group CBT did not water down results.

Ladouceur et al. (1997) ran an earlier panic study and also saw no extra benefit from adding hypnosis to exposure. Together, the two trials show that simpler CBT packages work just as well as longer or fancier ones.

Clarke et al. (2017) and Reaven et al. (2024) later moved group CBT into schools for autistic children. They kept the group format but swapped the setting and population. Their positive results echo the adult findings: groups save money and still cut anxiety.

Subramaniam et al. (2023) tried group CBT with autistic kids in a hospital. Outcomes were weaker on the main measure, yet parents still liked the group model. This looks like a clash, but the hospital sample was smaller and sicker. The core idea—group CBT can be cheaper—holds across studies when the setting fits the clients.

You can offer six-session or small-group CBT for panic without losing punch. These lean formats free your calendar and agency funds. If you serve schools or clinics with tight budgets, shift anxious clients into group slots or brief tracks. Start Monday by screening your caseload for panic with agoraphobia and slot suitable adults into the next group cycle.