Sharon's 10‐year‐old daughter is driving her crazy. Ever since they had a minor accident in the car, Cindy is afraid of getting into the car. Unfortunately, Cindy's school is two miles from home and her fears have generalized to anything that looks like a vehicle, including the school bus. Cindy has not been to school for the past three days because there is no way to get her there. Sharon knows that you are taking a course in child psychopathology and asks you how you can help her get Cindy to school.
a) What is the best treatment approach for helping Cindy cope with her fear of riding in vehicles?
b) Knowing what you know about fears and phobias, develop a plan that would help to get Cindy to school in a way that is the most humane. Outline the necessary parts and stages that this plan would include.
c) If you had to get Cindy to school tomorrow for state‐wide testing, what is the quickest way to get Cindy to school, and what is this technique called?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is a)Exposure Treatments/Systematic Desensitization
b) Plan should include
1) establishment of fear hierarchy (5 to 7 steps)
2) training in relaxation techniques
3) pairing of relaxation with hierarchy steps
c) Flooding. Force her into the car and get her to the school in enough time for her to settle down for the test.

Sharon's 10‐year‐old Daughter Is Driving Her Crazy