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Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy
2025. Vol. 33, no. 3, 123–147
doi:10.17759/cpp.2025330306
ISSN: 2075-3470 / 2311-9446 (online)

Exposure Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Anxiety: A Comprehensive Guide and a Case Study

 
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Abstract

Context and Relevance. Exposure therapy (ET) is recognized as one of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders in children. However, there is a lack of manualized protocols or systematic guidance on its implementation in Russian-language literature. Given the growing demand for evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches, this work aims to help fill that gap. Aim. To present principles and practical recommendations for the use of exposure therapy in childhood anxiety disorders, illustrated with a clinical case of a 13-year-old adolescent with generalized and separation anxiety. Materials and Methods. Case study; Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS); Family Accommodation Scale — Anxiety (FASA). Results and Conclusions. The case example demonstrates the effectiveness of ET in reducing anxiety symptoms. Recommendations are provided for developing an exposure hierarchy, which can aid clinicians and support the dissemination of evidence-based practices in child psychology.

General Information

Keywords: exposure, fear hierarchy, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, CBT, childhood anxiety disorders

Journal rubric: Empirical Researches

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2025330306

Funding. This work was supported by the «Sirius University of Science and Technology».

Acknowledgements. The authors thank K. (pseudonym) and her family for the opportunity to present the results of the exposure therapy program.

Received 03.05.2024

Revised 25.08.2024

Accepted

Published

For citation: Eremeeva, V.A., Zhukova, M.A., Oreshina, G.V., Zaikina, E.M., Karpova, N.V., Grigorenko, E.L. (2025). Exposure Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Anxiety: A Comprehensive Guide and a Case Study. Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy, 33(3), 123–147. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2025330306

© Eremeeva V.A., Zhukova M.A., Oreshina G.V., Zaikina E.M., Karpova N.V., Grigorenko E.L., 2025

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Valentina A. Eremeeva, clinical psychologist at the University Medical Clinic, Sirius University of Science and Technology , Federal territory "Sirius", Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2977-0477, e-mail: erem33vaeva@yandex.ru

Marina A. Zhukova, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas, Senior Researcher; Scientific Center for Cognitive Research, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Houston, United States of America, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3069-570X, e-mail: marina.zhukova@uth.tmc.edu

Galina V. Oreshina, researcher, Social and Cognitive Informatics Laboratory (SCILA), HSE University, Saint-Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5955-6471, e-mail: oreshinagalina.kosm@gmail.com

Elizaveta M. Zaikina, LLC "Fomin Clinic", Moscow, Russian Federation, e-mail: elizavetapsyhse@gmail.com

Natalia V. Karpova, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Senior Research Fellow, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Federal territory "Sirius", Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5505-4530, e-mail: karpova.nv@talantiuspeh.ru

Elena L. Grigorenko, PhD, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia; Professor and Acting Director, Center for Cognitive Sciences, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Federal territory "Sirius", Russia; Adjunct Professor, Child Study Center and Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Haskins Laboratories, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Research Certified Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Member of the editorial boards of the journals “Clinical and Special Educatiom”, “Experimental Psychology” and “Psychological Science and Education”, Houston, United States of America, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9646-4181, e-mail: elena.grigorenko@times.uh.edu

Contribution of the authors

Valentina A. Eremeeva — conceptualization, investigation; data curation; writing — original draft preparation.

Marina A. Zhukova — conceptualization; methodology; writing - original draft preparation; project administration; supervision.

Galina V. Oreshina — investigation; data curation; formal analysis; visualization; writing — original daft preparation.

Elizaveta M. Zaikina — resources; visualization.

Natalia V. Karpova — resources; writing — review and editing.

Elena L. Grigorenko — conceptualization; resources; supervision.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

Client as well as their parents and counselor participating in this study provided written informed consent. The study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Bioethical Committee of the Sirius University of Science and Technology (IRB approval from 04/15/2021).

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