Page 1 of 9 http://spider.apa.org/ftdocs/ccp/2000/june/ccp683506.html 8/30/2000 Effectiveness of an Empirically Based Treatment for Panic Disorder Delivered in a Service Clinic Setting 1-Year Follow-Up Gregory L. Stuart Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies Brown University Teresa A. Treat Department of Psychology Indiana University Wendy A. Wade Center for Behavioral Health ABSTRACT The transportability of cognitive—behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder to a community mental health center (CMHC) setting at 1-year follow-up was examined by comparing CMHC treatment outcome data with results obtained in controlled efficacy studies. Participants were 81 CMHC clients with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia who completed CBT for panic disorder. Despite differences in settings, clients, and treatment providers, both the magnitude of change from pretreatment to follow-up and the maintenance of change from posttreatment to follow-up in the CMHC sample were comparable with the parallel findings in the efficacy studies. At follow-up, 89% of the CMHC clients were panic free and a substantial proportion of the sample successfully discontinued benzodiazepine use. Portions of this research were presented at the 30th Annual Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy Convention, New York, New York, November 1996. This study would not have been possible without the support of the board of directors, administration, and staff of the Center for Behavioral Health. We thank all the Center for Behavioral Health staff who worked to make this program a success. We also thank Richard M. McFall and Richard J. Viken for their invaluable expertise and advice. Correspondence may be addressed to Gregory L. Stuart, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912. Electronic mail may be sent to Gregory_Stuart@Brown.edu Received: March 17, 1999 Accepted: October 14, 1999 Treatment outcome researchers have cautioned that the results of efficacy studies may not generalize from research to service settings because of differences in clients, settings, therapists, and other treatment delivery factors ( Borkovec & Castonguay, 1998 ; Chambless & Hollon, 1998 ; Goldfried & Wolfe, 1998 ; Hollon, 1996 ; Jacobson & Christensen, 1996 ; Kendall, 1998a , 1998b ; Kendall & Southam - Gerow, 1995 ; Persons & Silberschatz, 1998 ; Seligman, 1996 ). A promising solution to the generalizability problem is effectiveness research, in which empirically based interventions are evaluated in service settings ( Borkovec Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology © 2000 by the American Psychological Association June 2000 Vol. 68, No. 3, 506-512 For personal use only--not for distribution.