ABSTRACT
Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent disorders of childhood and adolescence with epidemiological studies showing that between 8% to 12% of youths experience anxiety problems severe enough to interfere with their functioning (Costello et al., 1996; Fergusson, Horwood, & Lynskey, 1993). If untreated, areas of interference relating to anxiety disorders include school drop out, arrests, and psychopathology extending into late adolescence and adulthood (e.g., Brown & Harris, 1993; Costello, Angold, & Keeler, 1999). Consistent and strong research evidence has accumulated in the past decade showing that anxiety disorders in youth can be successfully reduced with the use of exposure-based cognitive behavioral treatment procedures (see Silverman & Treffers [2001] for review). Given the cumulative evidence, it would seem incumbent on clinicians to become knowledgeable about and experienced in the use of exposure-based cognitive behavioral treatment procedures so that they might deliver interventions most likely “to work.”
