Exposure and Response Prevention

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that is used to treat anxiety disorders, particularly Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In ERP, the client is exposed to the feared or avoided stimulus and then prevented from engaging in the anxiety-reducing, but ultimately unproductive and disabling, behavior/ritual that typically follows. Over time, clients develop more productive cognitions around their fears. Clinical research supports the long term efficacy of ERP.