A patient with an intense fear of cats reports that after 2 weeks of therapy, she no longer sweats ...

A
Improvement occurs incrementally, and expected outcomes should be structured to break the ultimate goal into smaller goals, each to be met in turn. In this case, the patient notes improvement in her physiological response to the phobic object, suggesting that her sympathetic nervous system is no longer becoming as aroused on exposure to cats. This is a significant sign of improvement and suggests that the patient is responding well to treatment, although with room for continued improvement. Given the prevalence of cats in our society, not being able to tolerate brief exposure to cats might inhibit her socialization; therefore, expecting to be able to tolerate the presence of a cat is not an unrealistic expectation.