Cognitive behavioral treatment for panic disorder is similar to treatment for adults except the interventions are tailored to the developmental level of the child or adolescent. In addition, parents are actively incorporated into the treatment plan. Specifically, parents learn with their child or adolescent about the nature and function of anxiety and they are trained in the same relaxation skills and cognitive techniques in order to support and reinforce their child's compliance with the program. Parents are taught how to manage their child's anxious behavior by learning that some methods are less effective and may even increase their child or adolescent's anxiety. Thus, parents learn useful strategies for handling their child's anxiety, such as how to not permit or encourage avoidance, stop being overly directive and support their child to independently manage his or her anxiety in a constructive manner, and reduce reassurance seeking by ignoring anxious behavior instead of becoming frustrated and impatient.

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