MAP-A is a step-by-step approach designed to aid adolescents in developing skills to decrease the impact of anxiety and panic attacks on their lives.
It involves:
Learning self soothing, relaxation and distress reduction skills
Understanding about the cycle of anxiety and panic and ways which our thoughts and emotions can encourage or discourage panic attacks
Learning to slowly break the association between certain situations and the anxious thoughts and physiological reactions to anxiety
The goal of this process is for adolescents to learn to "Ride the Wave" of anxiety -- to have confidence that they can tolerate the anxiety and that they can return to a state of calm.