Panic Recovery Group

By Ryan DeCook, LCSW

What is the Panic Recovery Group?

This is not a support group where members take turns talking about their week. It is a structured, facilitated group that follows a clinical curriculum — meaning each session has a focus, a skill, and a purpose. The format is based on the same evidence-based model used in individual therapy for panic disorder: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with interoceptive and situational exposure work.

I ran panic groups early in my career — I led them for years and developed the curriculum I used. The group format has some real advantages for panic work specifically, and I built this group around those strengths.

Why group therapy can be especially useful for panic

• Normalization: One of the most disorienting things about panic disorder is how isolated it feels. Being in a room — or on a call — with other people who have the exact same experience is often immediately helpful in ways that individual therapy can't replicate.
• Shared exposure: Some exposure exercises are more powerful in a group setting, where members can support and observe each other working through avoided experiences.
• Accountability: Knowing that others in the group are doing the between-session work creates a kind of peer accountability that keeps the work moving.
• Cost: Group therapy is typically more accessible than individual therapy, which makes consistent, structured treatment available to more people.

What the group covers

The group follows a structured curriculum across a set number of sessions. Each session builds on the last. Here is how the curriculum is organized:

1. Understanding panic

   What panic is, what it is not, and why your nervous system is generating it. The basic biology of the fight-or-flight response. Why panic attacks feel like emergencies even when there is no danger.

2. The panic cycle

   How panic attacks are maintained — the role of catastrophic interpretation, hypervigilance, and safety behaviors. Seeing the full cycle laid out often provides immediate relief because panic becomes less random and mysterious.

3. Avoidance and why it backfires

   Why avoidance makes sense in the short term and makes panic worse in the long term. Mapping your own avoidance patterns and understanding what they are costing you.

4. Changing your response to body sensations

   The cognitive work: interrupting catastrophic interpretations of physical symptoms. Introduction to interoceptive exposure — learning to tolerate the sensations that trigger panic rather than avoid them.

5. Graduated exposure work

   Building and working through an individualized hierarchy of avoided situations and sensations. Group members support each other through this phase. Exercises may happen in session and between sessions.

6. Consolidation and relapse prevention

   Reviewing what has changed, planning for setbacks without catastrophizing them, and building a picture of what ongoing recovery looks like. Reducing reliance on the group as your confidence grows.

Group format and logistics

Details may be adjusted before the group launches, but here is the current plan:

• Format: Telehealth — secure video group sessions
• Group size: Small — capped to allow for meaningful participation
• Session length: 75–90 minutes per session
• Frequency: Weekly
• Total sessions: 4 sessions per cohort
• Location: California and Colorado residents

How is this different from individual therapy?

Individual therapy and group therapy for panic are not interchangeable — they each have distinct strengths. Here is a rough comparison:

Individual therapy	Panic Recovery Group
Fully tailored to your specific history and timeline	Follows a shared curriculum across cohort
Better for complex presentations or co-occurring trauma	Better for panic as a primary, isolated concern
Flexible pacing	Structured pacing across set number of sessions
Private, one-on-one	Shared experience — normalization is built in
Higher cost per session	More accessible cost per session

Some people do both — individual therapy for the tailored clinical work and the group for the peer element and accountability. That can be a strong combination.

Who is the group a good fit for?

The Panic Recovery Group is a good fit for adults who:

• Have recurring panic attacks or significant fear of panic
• Are dealing with panic avoidance — avoiding driving, travel, crowds, or other situations
• Are looking for structured treatment, not an open-ended support space
• Are comfortable with group settings and sharing in a small, confidential group
• Are based in California or Colorado

The group is probably not the right fit if you’re dealing with:

• Active, unprocessed trauma that is significantly entangled with your panic (individual therapy is a better starting point)
• A crisis-level situation that requires more intensive or immediate support
• Significant difficulty with group settings or confidentiality concerns that cannot be addressed

If you're not sure whether the group or individual therapy is the right fit for you, the free consultation is the place to figure that out.

How to join the waitlist

The group is currently forming. To be notified when a new cohort is scheduled, reach out via the contact page or email directly. I'll follow up with dates, logistics, and next steps as the group takes shape.

Join the waitlist