By Patient SJ, 6 Years Old
Drawing inspiration from Inside Out, our Program Director, Ashley Bramhall, encouraged her 6 year-old patient to externalize her distressing emotions into the concept of an OCD/anxiety monster. In their upcoming individual sessions, this pair will work on how to recognize, acknowledge, and respond to fear and anger in a healthier way using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including exposure and response prevention (ERP). Often times with a young patient, it is helpful for the therapist to tap into his or her inner-child to make therapy fun and to view the world from the lens of the patient.