The Trust is delighted to be at the forefront of helping patients with panic and agoraphobia, by providing a special cognitive behavioural therapy service called the Lupina Project. Run as part of Oxford CAPS (Counselling & Psychology Services) and funded by Oxfordshire PCT, the project provides clinical psychologists and volunteer graduate therapists to assist patients in overcoming their fear of open spaces. Many agoraphobic patients have found clinical settings are not conducive to effective treatment, which is why the Lupina Project offers trained and supervised volunteers to visit patients at home. This provides a more individualized style of treatment and allows the flexibility to carry out behavioural tasks with patients in ‘real life’ settings such as supermarkets and public transport. Patients receive on average 10-12 sessions of therapy, but volunteers are able to be flexible about the length of treatment, depending on the patient’s need.

The project received 32 referrals during 2006-2007, made via GPs and CAPS, with a very low rate of people not attending their initial assessment. By the end of therapy many of the patients were able to continue with normal activities, return to work or find work for the first time, take their children to school or go on holiday. The benefits extend to patients’ families, and positive feedback has been received from all involved.