Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of psychological treatment that helps individuals confront and overcome their fears or anxieties. The basic idea behind exposure therapy is to gradually expose a person to the source of their fear in a safe and controlled environment. This process is designed to help them build confidence and reduce their emotional response to the feared object or situation. It is effective for treating various anxiety disorders, phobias, PTSD and OCD.

I have attended multiple training courses on this topic and have provided training and supervision in this area.

I have over 20 years' experience successfully working with clients using exposure. I have used this approach in treating a wide range of anxiety concerns (e.g., social phobia, panic, health anxiety, claustrophobia) as well as post-traumatic stress. I keep current on developments in exposure therapy through reading, professional conference attendance, and participation in continuing education seminars. I have also published research examining use of exposure in treating post-traumatic stress.

Exposure therapy is a type of psychological treatment that helps individuals confront and overcome their fears or anxieties. The basic idea behind exposure therapy is to gradually expose a person to the source of their fear in a safe and controlled environment. This process is designed to help them build confidence and reduce their emotional response to the feared object or situation. It is effective for treating various anxiety disorders, phobias, PTSD, and OCD.

When we feel anxious, we often avoid the things that make us feel anxious. This seems so logical, but really, this doesn't help us. In the long run, when we avoid the things that make us feel anxious, we're actually teaching ourselves that we cannot handle these things. Depending on who I'm working with, I may use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which is considered the gold standard for OCD.

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) ERP is the primary treatment technique used and is the gold standard for OCD treatment. In ERP, we will guide you in a step-by-step process of exposing yourself to the thoughts and situations that are triggering your distress- without allowing a compulsion to stop the distress. Without the compulsive behaviors you will habituate to the distress and/or train the brain that the distress can be tolerated.

At the heart of exposure therapy is the ability to break-down challenges, approaching the challenge in one bite-size chunk at a time. It has reliably been shown to be a central element of many forms of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have received extensive training in the implementation of exposure therapies across multiple conditions, including anxiety disorders and PTSD.

I utilize exposure-based methods to treat many anxiety and fear-based symptoms including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and phobias. I will teach you how to approach your fear in such a way that it subsides quickly and allows you to build mastery over it. These techniques are among the most reliable and effective we have. Most clients are amazed at how effectively and efficiently these methods work for them.

Exposure and Response Prevention is a difficult therapy that is excellent at supporting individuals with OCD to slow the obsession/ compulsion cycle.

I have training on conducting various types of exposure therapy including Prolonged Exposure for Trauma disorders

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) ERP is the primary treatment technique used and is the gold standard for OCD treatment. In ERP, we will guide you in a step-by-step process of exposing yourself to the thoughts and situations that are triggering your distress- without allowing a compulsion to stop the distress. Without the compulsive behaviors you will habituate to the distress and/or train the brain that the distress can be tolerated.

One of the most powerful ways we learn is by experience. People with high anxiety, phobias, and trauma had experiences that made them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Another powerful way we learn is through repetition, so when one has repeated negative experiences it can be hard to break the anxiety cycle/spiral even if one understands it cognitively. What this type of therapy does is break that loop by re-training the body as well as the mind, building confidence in each.

Exposure therapy is not all about doing scary things all of the time. It is about the balance of challenging your beliefs and resisting going back to those patterns. We see it as a normal part of the brain to go to safety measures to experience less pain. Experiencing less emotional, physical, or mental anguish, we all want to get away from those. In fact, our brain says it is a true danger to experience these things. Lastly, exposure therapy is nothing without the response prevention.

Rumination-focused Exposure and Response Prevention is a modification of traditional ERP developed by a psychologist who experiences OCD himself. I find it to be both more approachable and more nuanced, and is a great option for both newcomers and ERP veterans.

I utilize exposure therapies when working with people who are diagnosed with OCD. I have trained with UPENN's Center For the Study and Treatment of Anxiety, who are the leading researchers and practitioners of exposure response prevention- an evidence based and extreme efficacious treatment modality.

I am trained in Written Exposure therapy to support those who have experienced trauma.

I am certified in Prolonged Exposure therapy, an intensive, time-limited and thoroughly researched method for treating PTSD. I use some of those aspects in treating anxiety-based disorders such as OCD and panic disorder.