The goals oftherapy for phobiaare to reduce or eliminate the symptoms so you can perform daily activities, including making and managing money, taking care of your household, and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.

Get Help NowWe’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Get Help Now

We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.

Types of Phobia

The type of treatment you receive depends on the type of phobia you have and the severity of your symptoms. There are three types of phobia:

While treatments for each type of phobia differ, the goals of treatment are to help you learn to manage your anxiety responses and function well in your daily life.

A to Z: List of Phobias

How Common Are Phobias?According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 9.1% of adults in the U.S. had a specific phobia in the past year.Approximately 0.9% of adults experienced agoraphobia in the past year and around 1.3% will have this condition at some point in their lives.An estimated 7.1% of adults experienced social phobia (social anxiety disorder) in the past year.The severity of the phobia and the impact it has on life vary tremendously. What is common, however, is that a phobia often limits people’s life or prevents them from enjoying their life to the greatest degree possible.

How Common Are Phobias?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 9.1% of adults in the U.S. had a specific phobia in the past year.Approximately 0.9% of adults experienced agoraphobia in the past year and around 1.3% will have this condition at some point in their lives.An estimated 7.1% of adults experienced social phobia (social anxiety disorder) in the past year.The severity of the phobia and the impact it has on life vary tremendously. What is common, however, is that a phobia often limits people’s life or prevents them from enjoying their life to the greatest degree possible.

The severity of the phobia and the impact it has on life vary tremendously. What is common, however, is that a phobia often limits people’s life or prevents them from enjoying their life to the greatest degree possible.

The Best Online Therapy for Anxiety, Tried and Tested

Phobia Treatment Goals

A goodmental health professionalwill customize a treatment plan for you, which may include both talk therapy and medication. A physician is more likely to add medication to agoraphobia or social phobia treatment plan than for a specific phobia.

Specific Phobia Treatment Goals

Your treatment goals for specific phobia are likely to be met through thecognitive behavior therapymethod known asexposure therapy. During this desensitization process, the therapist will gradually expose you to stimuli related to your fear in a safe and controlled environment.

Before the exposure process begins, people first learn relaxation techniques that they can use to remain calm when faced with the source of their fears. These techniques include deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization. The next step is to practice using these relaxation strategies gradually and progressively in the face of the feared object or situation.

You’ll know you’ve reached your therapy goal when thedistorted thinkingthat fuels your phobia diminishes to a functional level or disappears.

We Tried 100+ Therapy Services and Apps—And These Are the 8 Best for Online CBT

Agoraphobia Treatment Goals

Research suggests that combining cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with medication is an effective treatment for agoraphobia. Medications work to address symptoms of anxiety in the short-term, while CBT helps change the thoughts and feelings that contribute to panic and anxiety symptoms.

The goals of agoraphobia treatment are to learn:

Social Phobia Treatment Goals

Your treatment plan for social phobia is likely to include a combination of talk therapy, medication, and role-playing.

The goals of treatment for social phobia, orsocial anxiety disorder, including helping you to:

A medication commonly prescribed to help you reach your therapeutic objectives include:

Looking for a Psychiatrist? Try One of These 9 Best Online Psychiatry Services

A Word From Verywell

The goals of therapy are essential to help you live your life fully without irrational thoughts and fears which interfere with your activities. You may begin with primary goals and advance to other goals as you reach your initial goals. Every person is different so it is hard to estimate how long it will take any one person to reach their personal goals of treatment, but research tells us that these goals are often attainable—even when it feels as if you could never face some of the situations that you now fear.​

2 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Cleveland Clinic.Agoraphobia: management and treatment.Additional ReadingBogels, S., Wijts, P., Oort, F., and S. Sallaerts.Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Efficacy and Partial Effectiveness Trial.Depression and Anxiety. 2014. 31(5):363-73.Imai, H., Tajika, A., Chen, P., Pompoli, A., and T. Furukawa.Psychological Therapies Versus Pharmacological Interventions for Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia in Adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016. 10: CD011170.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Cleveland Clinic.Agoraphobia: management and treatment.Additional ReadingBogels, S., Wijts, P., Oort, F., and S. Sallaerts.Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Efficacy and Partial Effectiveness Trial.Depression and Anxiety. 2014. 31(5):363-73.Imai, H., Tajika, A., Chen, P., Pompoli, A., and T. Furukawa.Psychological Therapies Versus Pharmacological Interventions for Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia in Adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016. 10: CD011170.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Cleveland Clinic.Agoraphobia: management and treatment.

National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.

Cleveland Clinic.Agoraphobia: management and treatment.

Bogels, S., Wijts, P., Oort, F., and S. Sallaerts.Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Versus Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Efficacy and Partial Effectiveness Trial.Depression and Anxiety. 2014. 31(5):363-73.Imai, H., Tajika, A., Chen, P., Pompoli, A., and T. Furukawa.Psychological Therapies Versus Pharmacological Interventions for Panic Disorder with or without Agoraphobia in Adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016. 10: CD011170.

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?