At KY-CARDS, our clinical staff specialize in research-supported assessment and treatment of anxiety and related disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a time-limited, structured, collaborative, goal-oriented treatment approach that is the gold standard for anxiety and related disorders. CBT teaches the individual the connection between thoughts, feelings/physical sensations, and behaviors as well as the implementation of strategies that lead to emotional regulation. Within CBT, individuals learn how to tolerate physical distress, how to eliminate maladaptive emotional behaviors (such as avoidance), and how to confront situations that trigger strong emotions. One facet that is unique to CBT for managing emotions is called exposure therapy. “Exposure” refers to confronting situations that elicit strong emotions in order to facilitate new learning about the feared situation while teaching the individual to learn distress tolerance. When treating anxiety and related disorders, CBT often takes place both inside and outside of the office due to the necessity of teaching the client to confront uncomfortable, “real life” situations in order to create new, non-threatening associations in the brain leading to lifelong changes in functioning. The Founder and Director of KY-CARDS, Dr. Kevin Chapman, is considered an expert in the utilization of CBT. For more information on CBT, please see our videos, articles, and research papers throughout the website.