Table of Contents

I. The Fundamentals of Exposure Therapy 1. Overview and History of Exposure Therapy for Anxiety 2. How Well Does Exposure Therapy Work? 3. The Nature and Treatment of Clinical Anxiety 4. Treatment Planning I: Functional Assessment 5. Treatment Planning II: Hierarchy Development and Treatment Engagement 6. Implementing Exposure Therapy: An Overview II. Implementing Exposure Therapy for Specific Types of Fears 7. Animal-Related Fears 8. Natural Environments 9. Social Concerns 10. Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts 11. Bodily Cues and Health Concerns 12. Contamination 13. The Aftermath of Trauma 14. Blood-, Injection-, and Injury-Related Stimuli 15. Incompleteness, Asymmetry, and ""Not-Just-Right"" Feelings III. Special Considerations in the Use of Exposure Techniques 16. Exposure Therapy with Complex Cases 17. Exposure Therapy with Children 18. Involving Significant Others in Treatment 19. Combining Exposure Therapy with Medication 20. Maintaining Improvement after Treatment 21. A Risk–Benefit Analysis of Exposure Therapy

About the Author

Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Psychology, Research Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Abramowitz conducts research on anxiety and stress-related disorders and has published over 150 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. His books for the general public include Getting Over OCD, Second Edition, and The Stress Less Workbook. He is a recipient of awards including the David Shakow Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology from Division 12 of the American Psychological Association.

Brett J. Deacon, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wyoming and Director of the University of Wyoming Anxiety Disorders Clinic in Laramie. Dr. Deacon has published over 50 peer-reviewed research articles on the nature and treatment of anxiety disorders. He serves on the editorial boards of numerous scientific journals and is a member of the Clinical Advisory Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. He is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards from the University of Wyoming, among other honors.

Stephen P. H. Whiteside, PhD, ABPP, is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Child Anxiety Disorders Program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He conducts research on the assessment and treatment of childhood anxiety disorders, including the use of neuroimaging to examine the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Dr. Whiteside has received research funding from the International OCD Foundation and has published 35 articles and book chapters.

Reviews

"Exposure Therapy for Anxiety is an essential part of any clinician's library. The expert authors--renowned for both their contributions to theory and research and their outstanding clinical knowledge and acumen--provide practical advice on how to bring an empirically driven model to bear on the unique problems of the individual in your office. Full of excellent clinical examples, illustrations, and anecdotes, the book models how to execute exposure-based interventions effectively. It explicates the methods concisely and authoritatively and presents elegant solutions to complex difficulties that can arise in using exposure. This book brings science and practice into harmony."--Christine Purdon, PhD, CPsych, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada"Abramowitz, Deacon, and Whiteside have produced the definitive book on contemporary exposure-based treatment for pathological anxiety. This comprehensive volume is clear, practical, and based on the best available research. Practitioners who work with anxious individuals will find this book invaluable, and it should be required reading for students and trainees in cognitive-behavioral therapy."--Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

"For the novice or student, the book provides the theoretical and practical building blocks of anxiety treatment. For the more experienced practitioner, each and every chapter sheds new light on the familiar and points to new ideas and novel discoveries. The authors speak with the clarity of their collective decades of clinical and research experience."--Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego

"Just another clinical guide to anxiety disorders? Not at all. This broad and clinically nuanced guide is designed for clinicians who want to understand and treat anxiety and fear in all its forms. Rather than approaching the problem from diagnostic categories, this excellent book provides basic guidelines for planning treatment and then helps the clinician design exposures that match the client's specific fear triggers. It explores the challenges and complexities of anxiety treatment and offers clear guidelines and clinical language, to boot. An excellent volume for training students and clinicians at all levels."--Gail Steketee, PhD, Dean and Professor, Boston University School of Social Work

"A comprehensive manual for clinicians detailing the application of exposure therapy in the treatment of a broad range of anxiety problems. The topic is timely, and the book significantly augments the effort to disseminate exposure-based treatments. ... The book serves not only as an evidence-based account of the model and rationale behind exposure therapy, but also as an aid to individualizing treatment according to patient nuances, whether overt or subtle. Written by experts in the field of anxiety, Exposure Therapy for Anxiety is a complete guide to exposure therapy. ... The authors do an excellent job of discussing thorny clinical issues, including the 'judicious' use of safety behaviors and distraction during exposure therapy. ... An invaluable source of reference for any clinician, regardless of experience level." - Michelle Davis and Mark Powers, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Vol. 40, No. 4, 2011, UK "Just another clinical guide to anxiety disorders? Not at all. This broad and clinically nuanced guide is designed for clinicians who want to understand and treat anxiety and fear in all its forms. Rather than approaching the problem from diagnostic categories, this excellent book provides basic guidelines for planning treatment and then helps the clinician design exposures that match the client's specific fear triggers. It explores the challenges and complexities of anxiety treatment and offers clear guidelines and clinical language, to boot. An excellent volume for training students and clinicians at all levels." - Gail Steketee, Boston University School of Social Work, Massachussets, USA "For the novice or student, the book provides the theoretical and practical building blocks of anxiety treatment. For the more experienced practitioner, each and every chapter sheds new light on the familiar and points to new ideas and novel discoveries. The authors speak with the clarity of their collective decades of clinical and research experience." - Murray B. Stein, University of California, San Diego, USA"Exposure Therapy for Anxiety is an essential part of any clinician's library. The expert authors - renowned for both their contributions to theory and research and their outstanding clinical knowledge and acumen - provide practical advice on how to bring an empirically driven model to bear on the unique problems of the individual in your office. Full of excellent clinical examples, illustrations, and anecdotes, the book models how to execute exposure-based interventions effectively. It explicates the methods concisely and authoritatively and presents elegant solutions to complex difficulties that can arise in using exposure. This book brings science and practice into harmony." - Christine Purdon, University of Waterloo, Canada

"Abramowitz, Deacon, and Whiteside have produced the definitive book on contemporary exposure-based treatment for pathological anxiety. This comprehensive volume is clear, practical, and based on the best available research. Practitioners who work with anxious individuals will find this book invaluable, and it should be required reading for students and trainees in cognitive-behavioral therapy." - Martin M. Antony, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada "An excellent compendium of information on the nature and utilization of exposure therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The book is well written and thoughtfully organized, making it a worthy resource for practicing clinicians and a valuable guide for the training of health care professionals in the application of cognitive-behavioral interventions... The authors have provided the clinician in training with a commendable volume that is a concise and comprehensive presentation of the established principles and clinical practices that constitute exposure therapy." - PsycCRITIQUES (John E. Carr, Vol. 56, No. 50, December 14, 2011)