Information for Patients

What is the Unified Protocol? The Unified Protocol (UP) is a type of therapy for people with emotional disorders. The term emotional disorder is used by psychologists to describe a mental health concern in which the main problem is managing strong emotions. It applies to many common problems: social anxiety, worry and generalized anxiety, obsessive thoughts and behaviors like those seen in OCD, depression, anger, trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These problems all have something in common—they make it hard to manage uncomfortable emotions, which can cause these emotions to get worse.

The UP uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a type of treatment focused on learning helpful ways to think and act. The goal of the UP is to help patients respond in a healthy manner to uncomfortable emotions. The UP consists of different modules of treatment, each one focusing on an important skill necessary for developing healthier habits related to emotional experiences.

Is the Unified Protocol right for me? Great question! The UP is intended for people who are having trouble managing strong emotions. Some of the problems the UP can help with include stress, worry, social anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, health anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

The UP requires meeting with a therapist once per week for about 50 minutes. It also involves weekly homework assignments: practicing skills learned in treatment. The UP will work best if you have time for both weekly sessions and completing homework.