Exposure and Response Prevention

Are you struggling with PTSD, phobias, OCD or anxiety?

• Are you stuck in patterns of avoidance that is leaving you feeling trapped and stuck?

• Are specific habits so time consuming to you that they’re impacting your life?

• Are your worst fears getting in the way of you being able to do the things you once loved?

• Have you tried working with other therapists on your PTSD, phobia, OCD or anxiety, with very little result?

Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP) is a branch of therapy that is used for a variety of mental health symptoms including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety Disorders and Phobias. It is a specialized area that requires a highly trained clinician who carefully guides the client to purposefully do the things or think about the things that make them fearful (exposure). In some instances, the client is also instructed to not engage in any behaviours or elicit any reassurance that they may crave in the moments of distress (Response Prevention). With repeated exposure and response prevention, the client learns that the feared stimulus is not a threat, retraining the brain to feel calm even when the feared object or thought is present.

What is addressed in Exposure and Response Prevention therapy?

• PTSD or trauma-related responses

• generalized anxiety

• health anxiety

• social anxiety or social phobia

• Agoraphobia

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or intrusive thoughts

• phobias

• perfectionism

• anger

• disordered eating

• substance use

“Facing your fears and realizing that you can ‘handle it’ is one of the most important aspects of therapy. Exposure and Response Prevention is the scientific breakthrough that allows us to do just that.”

What to expect in E/RP therapy:

Exposure and Response Prevention therapy sessions are conducted in-person in our office or virtually in the comfort of your own home. They are usually 50 minutes in length (this allows 10 minutes at the end of the hour for the therapist to write their note and plan for next session). Sessions can be done on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis, depending on your goals and your therapist’s recommendation. Your therapist will adequately prepare you before beginning the more difficult work. You will feel confident that you can handle new challenges, even before you begin to do so!

This sounds nerve-wracking, how will I do it?

Purposefully engaging and interacting with feared situations or thoughts is nerve-wracking, and that is exactly why it works. Through the process of habituation, overtime, our anxiety levels come down all on their own - but we have to trust the process! Your therapist is trained to coach you throughout the therapeutic process so that you will see great results and appreciate all the steps along the way.

E/RP therapy at Brookhaven

Our therapists have are trained in best E/RP practices and are skilled at the delicate art of pushing you ourside of your comfort zone, but in a way that feels safe. We use psychoeducation, real life examples, videos and case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of E/RP before you begin diving into your own. We work hard at creating the best possible space to do this type of work!