A hospice nurse visits an elderly man. Getty Images.
Brittney Chesworth
While most people don’t like the idea of death, they are able to accept to some degree that they are going to die one day. For some, however, the fear of death leads to a host of worries about anything that could potentially end their lives, says NASW member Brittney Chesworth, PhD. She is the author of the Psychology Today article, “Imagining Your Death: How CBT Techniques Can Reduce Death Anxiety.”
Treating health anxiety is done through a range of cognitive and behavioral interventions, Chesworth says. She usually starts by identifying her client’s assumptions and specific fears about death and dying. This often includes fears about the dying process, the final destination, and leaving people behind. “
The goal in CBT is to help my clients challenge some of these inaccurate assumptions and see death and dying in a new, more accurate and balanced way,” she writes. Read the full story at NASW Social Work Advocates magazine here.
