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Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety

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United States
Philadelphia, PA
Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety

CTSA advances anxiety disorder treatment with evidence-based therapies, research, and training opportunities for professionals.

The Center was founded in 1979 by Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., a world leader in anxiety disorders research, who is the Director of the Center. The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety is a division of the University's Department of Psychiatry, and is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unlike many clinical and research programs, which specialize either in adults or children, the Center’s unique strength is in providing clinical services across the developmental lifespan: we provide treatment to children, adolescents, and adults. Our treatments are tailored to each age group and are sensitive to developmental aspects of our patients.

09/05/2025

🧠 Therapists: Avoidance Isn’t Neutral — It’s Harmful.

When clients don’t talk about trauma, it doesn’t stay quiet. It shows up in their bodies, behaviors, and relationships.

As clinicians, we know that avoidance is a core symptom of PTSD — and when left unaddressed, it reinforces fear, shame, and disconnection.

💬 Talking about trauma is treatment.
🛠️ Avoidance is a barrier to healing.
🧩 Prolonged Exposure Therapy and other evidence-based approaches help clients reclaim their lives — not by erasing trauma, but by integrating it.

Let’s keep creating space for the hard conversations. That’s where healing begins.

09/04/2025

Coping vs. Avoiding: Know the Difference
Not all “coping” strategies are created equal. Some help clients face anxiety head-on—others quietly reinforce avoidance.

✅ Healthy Coping Strategies
Grounding techniques to stay present
Self-talk that encourages facing fears
Mindfulness to observe discomfort without judgment
Problem-solving when action is needed

🚫 Subtle Avoidance Behaviors
Using breathing or distraction only to escape anxiety
Over-preparing or rehearsing to prevent discomfort
Seeking constant reassurance
Avoiding triggers under the guise of “self-care”

🔄 Encourage Approach-Based Behaviors
Help clients:
Move toward discomfort, not away from it
Practice tolerating uncertainty
Reflect on what they learned—not just how they felt

💬 “Coping should build courage, not just comfort.”

09/03/2025

Distress Tolerance vs. Distress Elimination
🔍 What’s the difference?

Distress Elimination = Trying to get rid of discomfort ASAP
Distress Tolerance = Learning to sit with discomfort without needing it to go away

🧠 In anxiety treatment, this distinction is key to long-term change.

Why Distress Elimination Backfires
🚫 Short-term relief, long-term trap

Avoidance and escape behaviors reinforce the belief that distress is dangerous
Clients miss the opportunity to learn: “I can handle this.”

🌀 This keeps the anxiety cycle going.

Teaching Distress Tolerance Help Clients:

Label the emotion (“This is anxiety, not danger.”)
Stay present with the discomfort
Use grounding—not to escape, but to anchor
Reflect afterward: “What did I learn about my capacity to cope?”

Building Emotional Resilience
🌱 Resilience grows when clients:

Face discomfort with openness
Practice staying in the moment
Learn that emotions are temporary and survivable

💬 “You don’t have to feel better—you can get better at feeling.”

09/02/2025

🎒 Back to School Anxiety Is Real—And You’re Not Alone 💬

As the school year approaches, many students (and parents!) feel a mix of excitement and anxiety. New routines, social pressures, academic expectations—it’s a lot to handle.

Here are a few gentle reminders for anyone feeling the back-to-school jitters:

💡 1. Anxiety ≠ Weakness
Feeling nervous doesn’t mean you’re not ready. It means you care—and that’s a strength.

🧘 2. Don’t Avoid - Ease Into It
Practice the routine before school starts. Visit the building, prep your supplies, and get familiar with the schedule.

🗣️ 4. Talk About It
Whether it’s a friend, parent, or counselor—sharing your worries can lighten the load.

🌱 5. Growth Takes Time
The first week might feel overwhelming. That’s okay. You’re adjusting, and that’s brave.

✨ You’ve got this. One step at a time.

09/01/2025

💨 Breathing Retraining: Helpful or a Hidden Safety Behavior?

Breathing exercises are often recommended for managing anxiety—but did you know they can reinforce anxiety instead of reducing it?

Here’s why ⬇️

🔍 What Are Safety Behaviors?
In anxiety treatment, safety behaviors are actions we take to avoid or reduce perceived threat. While they offer short-term relief, they can prevent us from learning that the feared situation is actually safe.

😮‍💨 Breathing Retraining as a Safety Behavior
When used rigidly or automatically in anxious situations, breathing exercises can become a crutch. Instead of learning to tolerate anxiety, we might rely on the exercise to "escape" it—reinforcing the belief that anxiety is dangerous.

✅ When It Helps
✔️ Used intentionally and flexibly
✔️ Practiced outside of anxiety-provoking moments
✔️ Integrated into broader cognitive-behavioral strategies

🚫 When It Hinders
❌ Used to avoid or suppress anxious feelings
❌ Becomes a ritual or compulsion
❌ Prevents exposure to feared sensations

🧩 The Takeaway
Breathing retraining isn’t bad—but how and why you use it matters. In therapy, the goal is to build confidence in your ability to handle anxiety, not just manage symptoms.

08/29/2025

✴️ Anxiety’s Greatest Lies

When anxiety takes over, it often distorts reality in two powerful ways:
🔹 Lie #1: “This is definitely going to happen.”
➡️ Anxiety overestimates the probability of danger — even when the risk is low or unlikely.
🔹 Lie #2: “If it happens, it will be disastrous.”
➡️ Anxiety exaggerates the severity of the outcome — making it feel like you couldn’t possibly cope.

💡 The Truth:
Most feared outcomes are less likely and less catastrophic than they feel. And even if something uncomfortable happens — you’re more resilient than anxiety gives you credit for.

Let’s start challenging the fear, not avoiding it. 💛

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08/28/2025

🧠 Exposure Therapy Works—And It’s Even Better with Group Consultation!

Delivering exposure therapy can be complex, especially when treating OCD, PTSD, or severe anxiety. That’s where group consultation comes in.

👥 Why Join a Group Consultation?
✅ Shared Expertise – Collaborate with peers to troubleshoot challenging cases.
✅ Support & Accountability – Stay motivated and consistent in your approach.
✅ Creative Problem-Solving – Discover new strategies and exposure hierarchies.
✅ Ethical Confidence – Navigate tricky clinical decisions with guidance.
✅ Reduced Burnout – Feel less isolated and more empowered.

Whether you're new to exposure therapy or a seasoned clinician, group consultation fosters growth, confidence, and better outcomes for your clients.

🔗 https://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/Exposure_Therapy_Group_Consultations_via_Zoom.html
💬 Have you ever participated in a consultation group? Share your experience below!

08/27/2025

🌟 Did You Know?
BFRBs like hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting aren’t just habits — they’re often driven by sensory triggers.

Many people with BFRBs are drawn to specific textures, sensations, or visual cues — like the feel of a coarse hair, the look of dry skin, or the relief of tension after pulling or picking.

These behaviors can be:
Automatic (done without awareness)
Focused (done intentionally to relieve discomfort or stress)
Sensory-driven (done to satisfy a tactile or visual urge)

Understanding the sensory component of BFRBs helps tailor treatment — like using fidget tools, textured fabrics, or sensory substitutions — to reduce urges and support healing.

Let’s move beyond shame and toward understanding. 💛

08/26/2025

🗣 Let’s Talk About Trauma

Trauma isn’t just what happens to you — it’s how your mind and body respond to what happened.

Whether it’s from a single event or prolonged stress, trauma can affect:

How you think and feel
How you relate to others
Your physical health
Your sense of safety and self-worth

💡 Important to Know:

Trauma is not a sign of weakness.
Healing is possible — and it looks different for everyone.
You don’t have to go through it alone. Support is out there. 💛

📚 Learn more, listen more, and let’s build a world where healing is supported and stigma is left behind.

08/25/2025

💻 Therapists, take note: A growing number of clients with OCD are turning to AI tools for reassurance—asking repeated questions, seeking certainty, and trying to soothe intrusive thoughts.

While technology can offer support, it can also become part of the compulsion cycle.

📱 The digital age brings new challenges—and new opportunities—for healing. Let’s stay curious, compassionate, and informed.

08/22/2025

😢Struggling to stay confident during exposures? You’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it solo.

💡CTSA’s expert consultants gives clinicians the real-time feedback, support, and precision needed to elevate their practice.

With certification, per diem, and group consultation options, we can help you turn doubt into direction.

📍 Learn more at bit.ly/CTSAtrainings

08/21/2025

“OCD isn’t always about clean hands and locked doors.”
Let’s challenge the clichés and explore the subtypes that hide in plain sight.

Learn more in our intensive workshop: https://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/workshops_ocd.html

When people hear “OCD,” they often picture hand-washing or checking locks—but the reality is far more nuanced. Here are some lesser-known subtypes that deserve attention in the clinical conversation:
🔹 Harm OCD – Intrusive thoughts about causing harm to oneself or others, despite having no intent or desire to act on them.
🔹 Real Event OCD – Individuals experience intrusive thoughts about past events, obsessing over whether they were harmful or inappropriate, often seeking reassurance or replaying the event mentally.
🔹 Relationship OCD (ROCD) – This involves obsessive doubts about one's feelings toward a partner or the partner’s feelings toward them—leading to compulsive reassurance-seeking or mental reviewing.
🔹 Moral Scrupulosity – An intense fear of being immoral or unethical. People may excessively confess, avoid certain situations, or seek validation of their integrity.
🔹 Sensorimotor OCD – Obsessive attention to bodily functions like blinking or swallowing, feeling trapped in awareness of automatic processes.

Let’s expand the conversation beyond stereotypes. These subtypes are real, valid, and treatable. 🧩

✨ Clinicians: Are your clients describing fears or rituals that “don’t sound like OCD”? It might be time to dig deeper.

Address

3535 Market Street, 6th Floor
Philadelphia, PA
19104

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12157463327

Website

http://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/, https://linktr.ee/ctsaatpenn

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