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  • AC Introduction
  • 1. Understanding Anxiety/OCD
  • 2. Learning To Do Exposures
  • 3. Planning a Fear Ladder
  • 4. Exposure
  • Find Help

Step 1 of 5

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  • Anxiety/OCD Cycle: Overview

    Let’s start by understanding your anxiety and OCD in a way that helps us plan exposure therapy. To do this, we need to learn how kids can get stuck in a cycle of anxiety or OCD. Then, we learn how they can break that cycle by facing their fears.

  • Anxiety/OCD Cycle: Sets Off

    Now that you understand how kids can get stuck in anxiety or OCD, let’s learn what sets off your symptoms. After you watch the video, answer a few short questions.

  • You can choose as many items from as many categories as apply to you. However, downloading your personal Anxiety or OCD cycle works best if you just enter one or two items at a time.

  • What gives you anxiety?

Things and situations in the world
  • Other things/places in the world:
Thoughts in my head
  • Other thoughts:
Feelings in my body
  • Other bodily:
  • Anxiety/OCD Cycle: Expectations

    Now that you have identified what sets off your anxiety or OCD, let’s figure out what you expect to happen that makes those safe situations seem scary. After you watch the video, answer a few short questions to understand the beliefs and feelings that go with each thing that sets off your anxiety.

  • Expectations - Things and situations in the world

  • Expectations - Thoughts in my head

  • Expectations - Feelings in my body

  • Anxiety/OCD Cycle: Avoidance

    Great work figuring out what sets off your anxiety or OCD and why. Now, let’s learn how avoiding that fear stops you from learning that what you are afraid of isn’t so bad. Watch the video and then answer the questions to identify what you do to avoid.

  • Avoidance - Things and situations in the world

  • Avoidance - Thoughts in my head

  • Avoidance - Feelings in my body

  • Anxiety/OCD Cycle: Exposure

    Now that we understand how your anxiety or OCD works, the last step to creating your personal cycle is to decide what type of activities you will need to do to face your fears. Watch the video and then answer the questions to pick the exposures that match your anxiety or OCD symptoms.

  • Exposure - Things and situations in the world

  • Exposure - Thoughts in my head

  • Exposure - Feelings in my body

Here is an example of an Anxiety Cycle for a boy who is afraid of dogs.


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