“Prevailing models of exposure therapy for phobias and anxiety disorders construe level of fear throughout exposure trials as an index of corrective learning. However, the evidence, reviewed herein, indicates that neither the degree by which fear reduces nor the ending fear level predict therapeutic outcome. Developments in the theory and science of fear extinction, and learning and memory, indicate that ‘performance during training’ is not commensurate with learning at the process level. Inhibitory learning is recognized as being central to extinction and access to secondary inhibitory associations is subject to influences such as context and time, rather than fear during extinction training. Strategies for enhancing inhibitory learning, and its retrieval over time and context, are reviewed along with their clinical implications for exposure therapy and directions for future research.”

Dr. Mystkowski adapted the “Going Well” program for clients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a functional gastrointestinal disorder, to help those with swelling and irritation in the digestive tract (i.e., Irritable Bowel Disease - IBD: Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, and Celiac Disease), in careful consultation with medical providers trained in helping individuals with those specific conditions.

In general, we in America live in a white normative and mono-racially defined society, and do not recognize the complexity in the development of a racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. As a result, countless people feel alienated, insecure around issues of self-identification, and frustrated with others defining, appropriating, or ascribing their identities.

My most important strength as a practitioner is my eagerness to continue to expand my depth and breadth of empirically supported treatments by supervising advanced, clinical psychology graduate students. Their exposure to cutting-edge research findings in their graduate coursework and lessons learned from previous clinical placements fosters a dynamic learning environment that allows me and my students to mutually benefit throughout our supervision relationship, allowing us to maximize our potential in helping our clients…