About CTSA

The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety is an internationally recognized research and clinical facility that offers state-of-the-art treatment programs specifically designed to deal with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Specific Phobias, and trichotillomania (hair-pulling). The Center was founded in 1979 by Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., a world renowned expert in anxiety disorders, who continues to serve as the Director of the Center. The Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety is a division of the University's Department of Psychiatry, and is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The faculty at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety includes fourteen Masters and Doctoral level psychologists who have extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. Members of our faculty are experts in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. Our faculty are also very knowledgeable about the use of medications in treating anxiety disorders and are experienced in working with physicians and psychiatrists to coordinate these treatments with cognitive-behavioral techniques.

Faculty members of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety are engaged in a variety of basic and applied research projects aimed at improving our understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders. The center has been awarded grants from the National Institute of Health as well as from various pharmaceutical companies, to conduct research that emphasizes the development of new, efficient, and effective treatments for anxiety and stress disorders. Faculty at the center have authored or co-authored well over 250 scholarly articles, chapters, and books on anxiety and its treatment. They also regularly present scholarly research at national and international professional conferences.

Faculty from the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety are actively involved in training mental health professionals in the use of effective treatments for anxiety disorders. Faculty regularly present single- and multi-day training workshops for professionals around the United States and internationally. At our Philadelphia location, we offer individualized training programs for physicians, psychologists and other health professionals from around the world.