ADAO Programs

ADAO Programs

14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop
14-Week Poster
14-Week Frequently Asked Questions
Toll-Free Information Line
Community Presentations

14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop (Ottawa)

The 14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop is offered several times throughout the year in Ottawa, Ontario. The workshop runs for 2 and a 1/ 2 hours on a weekly basis and is facilitated by professionals.

14-Week Program Model
ADAO’s approach to supporting people with anxiety is to find ways to reduce and manage their anxiety by offering a tool kit of supportive resources. The toolkit, like the program itself, is based on the different ways that people understand and seek to address anxiety. It is common practice today for anxiety treatment to include medical and psychotherapeutic approaches. In developing the model for the ADAO program, the goal has been to pull together complementary theories and strategies from four main fields of practice: cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), psychotherapeutic methods, holistic approaches, and wisdom traditions / spirituality.

programs

14-Week Program Goal
The 14-Week Program is a structured educational workshop. ADAO’s goal is to provide individuals with the information and tools they need to determine what approach to treatment is best suited to their circumstances as well as to learn to self-manage their symptoms of anxiety. ADAO does not “promote” one particular approach to managing anxiety. The group is structured and follows a workbook created by ADAO. The goal of the workshop is to help participants develop:

Knowledge about anxiety conditions
An understanding of the impact of nutrition and stress on symptoms of anxiety
Self-management techniques including deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness techniques
An understanding of how automatic thoughts, unconscious rules / beliefs, and thinking styles contribute to anxiety
Effective communication skills
The ability to use graduated exposure to reduce symptoms of anxiety
Goal setting and follow-through
Positive coping strategies to replace negative coping strategies
Assertiveness skills (e.g., setting boundaries, constructive criticism)
Anger management techniques

14-Week Program: What Sets it Apart
ADAO’s 14-Week Program is important because it allows individuals to self-manage their anxiety as well as develop peer-to-peer support networks within their community. Comparative programs are offered only through hospital-based programming, which often have waiting lists of more than 8 months. The innovative aspect of the program is the cognitive-behavioural group model, which allows individuals to modify their thoughts, behaviours, and emotions as well as how they relate to others and their environment. The group provides participants with the opportunity to witness others successes, practice new behaviours, develop a social support system, problem-solve, as well as receive feedback and support on their developments and setbacks. The group is directed solely at individuals with anxiety, to ensure that interventions and program content is specific to their needs.

14-Week Program: Session Structure
Each of the 14 sessions follows a similar structure:

Check-in Activity
Breathing or mindfulness practice
Presentation and interactive exercises
Homework / Gratitude Journal
Check-out Activity

14-Week Program: Session Topics Session 1 – Introduction and Definitions
Session 2 – Mindfulness
Session 3 – Relaxation
Session 4 – Nutrition
Session 5 – Identifying Thoughts and Feelings
Session 6 – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Session 7 – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Session 8 – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Session 9 – Managing Feelings and Emotions
Session 10 – Working With Self-Resistance
Session 11 – Communicating More Effectively
Session 12 – Community
Session 13 – Spirituality
Session 14 – Celebration

14-Week Program: Materials
Participants are provided with a copy of “The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 4th Edition” (Edmund J. Bourne), the ADAO Participant Manual, the ADAO Participant Workbook, and a Relaxation CD.

14-Week Program: Cost
The cost for participating in the workshop is $425. Subsidized spaces are available.
Please see the Upcoming Events page for program dates.

View Poster for the 14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop
(The poster can be e-mailed and/or printed)

View Frequently Asked Questions for the 14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop
(The document can be e-mailed and/or printed)

Toll-Free Information Line

1-877-308-3843

ADAO can provide callers with:

Information about anxiety conditions
Information about programs and services in their area
Information about mental health crisis support

Community Presentations

In an effort to promote a better understanding of anxiety as well as to reduce stigma, ADAO offers a presentation, “About Anxiety”, to community organizations, corporations, and educational institutions in the City of Ottawa. The presentation has been created to provide audiences with relevant, up-to-date information about anxiety in Canada, including what the different types of anxiety look like, how anxiety can be treated, and how family and friends can support a loved one who experiences anxiety. This presentation is particularly relevant for: Community organization clients ' Employees; and “Lunch and learn” sessions

ADAO also offers a presentation on our 14-Week Anxiety Management Workshop. This presentation provides an overview of our structured educational workshop, offered for 2 and a ½ hours each week, the focus of which is on providing participants with tools and information to assist them in managing their symptoms of anxiety. This presentation is particularly relevant for: Social workers, counsellors, EAP staff, and helping professionals; Community groups and organizations; Hospital staff; Human resources personnel; and Corporations.

If you are interested in one of ADAO’s presentations, please contact us at (613) 729-6761.