Exposure Therapy for PTSD and Phobia
Published on in CHOP News
Exposure therapy, a form of behavioral therapy, is a scientifically based psychological treatment for PTSD and specific phobia. Dr. Katherine K. Dahlsgaard, PhD, Lead Psychologist of the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, used exposure therapy on a patient who developed fear of swallowing after witnessing a relative choke to the point of unconsciousness.
In her guest blog post for the Philly.com Healthy Kids blog, Dr. Dahlsgaard writes about the boy’s experience and how exposure therapy helped him overcome his phobia.
Dr. Dahlsgaard writes, “In exposure therapy, patients are encouraged and praised for every step they take toward sticking with what scares them until it doesn’t scare them anymore.”