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OCD and anxiety therapist in Colorado providing online Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Expert Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Phobias

Overcome Fear, Rebuild Confidence, and Get Back to Living Your Life

If you live with a phobia, you know how intense and immediate the fear can feel. Your heart races, your body tenses, and even the thought of facing the feared situation or object can send you into panic. Over time, this fear can start to shape your life, leading to avoidance, missed opportunities, and a shrinking sense of freedom.

For over a decade, I’ve helped teens and adults confront and overcome their fears using the gold standard treatment for phobias: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Exposure. I’m licensed to provide therapy in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Washington, New Jersey, and Illinois.

I deeply respect my clients as some of the bravest people I’ve ever met, and my commitment is simple: to use proven therapies, applied with care and compassion, to help you find the lasting relief and freedom you deserve. - Josh Kaplan, LCSW

a calm mountain image symmbolizing recovery from phobias using CBT and Exposure Therapy

Understanding Phobias

Phobias are intense, irrational fears of specific objects, situations, or experiences that trigger overwhelming anxiety or panic. Common examples include emetophobia (fear of throwing up), acrophobia (fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), trypanophobia (fear of needles or injections), and aerophobia (fear of flying). But phobias aren’t limited to these—people can develop fears of driving, choking, storms, bridges, blood, dogs, or even particular sounds or sensations.

In reality, almost anything can become a phobia. What defines it isn’t the object or situation itself, but the way the brain responds to it. Phobias all operate through the same mechanism: the brain mistakenly interprets something as dangerous and activates the body’s fight-or-flight system. The person then learns to avoid that trigger in an effort to feel safe, which brings short-term relief but strengthens the fear in the long run.

The good news is that because all phobias function through this same cycle of fear and avoidance, they respond extremely well to the same treatment approach, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy, which retrain the brain’s fear response and help you face situations with calm, confidence, and control.

calm ocean setting symbolizing the reduction in anxiety following CBT treatment for phobias

How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Exposure Therapy Treats Phobias

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy directly target the cycle that keeps phobias alive. CBT helps you understand the thoughts and beliefs that exaggerate danger and underestimate your ability to cope, while Exposure Therapy allows your brain to learn, through experience, that you are safe.

Together, we’ll use a structured, step-by-step approach to help you gradually face your fears in a safe and supportive environment. Throughout this process, I’ll teach you how to respond to fear and anxiety using practical skills that break the cycle of avoidance and reinforcement, helping you create new, healthier patterns. Over time, you’ll retrain your brain’s response to fear, reduce the safety behaviors that keep phobias alive, and rebuild your confidence and sense of control. As your brain learns that the feared situation isn’t actually dangerous, the anxiety naturally fades, allowing you to move through life with greater freedom and ease.

calm rainbow over the ocean setting symbolizing the reduction in anxiety following CBT treatment for phobias

What Does Exposure Therapy For Phobias Look Like?

Exposure Therapy for phobias is highly individualized and collaborative. We begin with a thorough diagnostic evaluation and a functional assessment to understand your specific fears, triggers, safety behaviors, and how the phobia impacts daily life. Next comes psychoeducation (the why behind fear and avoidance) and standard CBT skills, identifying anxious thoughts, challenging threat overestimates, and practicing calmer responses. From there, we co-create a step-by-step exposure hierarchy, starting with situations that feel manageable and gradually progressing to more challenging ones, alongside skills training (breathing regulation, attention shifting, response prevention, and post-exposure processing).

Your exposures might include, for example: looking at photos of needles (trypanophobia), watching turbulence videos (fear of flying), standing near a tall window (acrophobia), or riding a crowded elevator (claustrophobia). You’ll never be pushed too far, too fast, and each step is planned, supported, and repeatable until your anxiety decreases. With practice, your brain re-learns that the feared experience, while uncomfortable, isn’t dangerous, safety behaviors fade, and the fear response rewires, leading to lasting freedom from avoidance and anxiety.

I'll guide you through this process, coaching and supporting you each step of the way.

Leaves Shadows
a computer being used for online anxiety treatment CBT and ERP in Colorado, Arizona, Washington and beyond

Online CBT Therapy and Exposure Therapy for Phobias Available in: Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, New Jersey, and Illinois

My practice is 100% virtual, making CBT and Exposure Therapy for phobias both effective and convenient. Online therapy allows us to work on exposures in the exact settings where your fears show up—whether that’s at home, in your car, on an airplane, around animals, or in public spaces. This real-world approach helps you face fears directly, accelerate progress, and build confidence where it matters most.​

Whether you’re in Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Chicago, or anywhere in between, I’ll help you develop the tools, confidence, and freedom to move beyond fear and reclaim your life.

 Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy are the Gold Standard for Phobia Treatment

Proven and Supported by Decades of Research

Decades of research show that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy are highly effective for treating phobias, leading to lasting reductions in fear, avoidance, and anxiety.

Endorsed by Experts

CBT is the most effective, evidence-based treatment for phobias and is recognized by leading organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as the gold standard for overcoming fear and avoidance.

Targets the Root Cause 

CBT and Exposure Therapy directly address the fear cycle that drives phobias. Rather than just managing anxiety in the moment, these therapies help you understand and change the thoughts and avoidance behaviors that keep fear alive.

Retrains the Brain's Response to Fear

Through cognitive restructuring and exposure exercises, CBT helps your brain learn that the situations or objects you fear are uncomfortable, but not dangerous. Over time, this retraining reduces both the intensity of fear and the urge to avoid.

Take the First Step Toward Freedom from Anxiety and Phobias

Recovery begins with a single step. If you’re ready to start CBT therapy for a phobia, I invite you to schedule a free 20-minute online consultation. We’ll discuss your symptoms, goals, and what effective treatment can look like for you. Together, we’ll take the first step toward lasting relief and renewed peace of mind.

Peaceful Colorado mountain landscape symbolizing calm and balance, freedom from phobias

Meet Josh Kaplan, LCSW and OCD Specialist.

Hi, I’m Josh Kaplan, LCSW. I’ve dedicated my career to helping people overcome anxiety and phobias using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy, gold-standard, evidence-based treatments that truly work.

Over the years, I’ve helped clients face and overcome a wide range of phobias, from flying, vomiting, driving, heights, and animals to medical procedures and public speaking. No matter what your fear looks like, I want you to know that you’re not alone, and that lasting relief is absolutely possible.

I’m deeply passionate about this work because I’ve seen how life-changing CBT and Exposure Therapy can be for people with phobias. You deserve proven treatment that helps you face your fears with confidence, reclaim your freedom, and get back to living life on your own terms.

Frequently asked questions

Still have questions? 

Get in contact and we'll answer any questions you may have.

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