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Specialized Programs at CUCARD

CUCARD's mission is to provide mental health services with the strongest scientific support for providing relief from disability and distress. Our clinicians may recommend that certain individuals and/or families participate in one of our specialized programs.

Please click the links below to learn more.

Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP): Helping Young Adults Thrive

Throughout CUCARD’s history, Dr. Albano and her team have focused not just on reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, but also helping patients develop skills needed to succeed in life. With the generous support of our donors, CUCARD has developed “LEAP: The Launching Emerging Adults Program". This new treatment expands on traditional cognitive-behavioral exposure therapy by integrating skills needed to help the millennial generation thrive in adulthood. The LEAP program is designed for families struggling with “failure to launch” issues including transition from high school to college, work and career problems, family conflict, limitations in friendships and romantic relationships, and limited independence. Through the LEAP program, we assist parents in letting go of their emerging adult while they take on the challenges of growing into independence.

In 2013, the LEAP model became the cornerstone psychological treatment of the New York Presbyterian Hospital's Center for Youth Mental Health (CYMH), a landmark collaborative program that focuses on the unique needs of young adults with anxiety and related disorders.

Intensive Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

CUCARD provides personalized, intensive therapy programs for individuals suffering with anxiety disorders. Intensive treatment begins with a thorough evaluation of the presenting problem and development of goals and the intensive treatment plan. Sessions are often longer than typical (e.g., 90 minutes to 120 minutes each) and usually scheduled to occur several times per day and occur on several days during a week. We offer intensive treatment for specific phobias, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Intensive CBT includes:

Education about anxiety disorders and CBT
Training in appropriate somatic management and mindfulness techniques to address anxiety-related bodily sensations
Development of skills to cope with self-defeating thinking styles
Engaging in specially designed behavioral exposures to anxiety provoking stimuli both in clinic as well as in the environment

We welcome active collaboration with current care providers and appropriate family members in defining goals and objectives.

Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy

CUCARD provides cognitive behavioral group therapy for anxiety disorders. During group treatment, patients typically participate in small groups of 5-7 people for 90-minute sessions. Groups are mixed gender and are available for a variety of ages including adolescents, college students, young adults, and adults. Each group is short term, often lasting for 12-16 weeks. Group treatment is available for a variety of anxiety disorders including social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Groups include a variety of cognitive behavioral therapy principles including:

Psychoeducation about anxiety disorders
Training in relaxation and mindfulness techniques to manage anxiety-related bodily sensations
Development of skills to cope with anxious thoughts
Completing behavioral exposures to anxiety provoking stimuli both in clinic as well as outside in neighboring areas
Development of skills necessary for healthy development and regulation of emotions, including problem-solving skills
Development of social skills

"The Coping Cat" Program

The Coping Cat Program, developed by Philip C. Kendall, Ph.D., is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral treatment used to treat Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, and Social Phobia in youth ages seven and older.

Typically, children meet with the therapist individually on a weekly basis. Parents also attend separate parent sessions at different times during the course of treatment. The therapist, child, and parent collaborate in therapy to help the child develop coping skills and mastery over their anxiety.

Treatment goals include helping children learn to recognize when they are anxious, to monitor their nervous thoughts and feelings, and learn relaxation and problem-solving skills to cope with anxiety. These skills directly address the escape or avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations that underlies the anxiety disorder. Finally, children are provided opportunities to practice their anxiety management skills in challenging situations, a process known as "exposure", in order to foster confidence and new coping habits. What are the skills taught in the Coping Cat program?

Children who participate in the Coping Cat Program learn how to:

Identify and label their anxious feelings
Use relaxation techniques to calm anxious arousal
Identify their anxious thoughts and develop coping thoughts that are more adaptive and proactive
Use appropriate problem solving skills
Self-monitor and reward their own efforts at coping to become increasingly effective in managing anxiety
Practice coping with anxiety-provoking situations in a step-like manner, both in the clinic and through home-based assignments

Individual Coping Cat Treatment

Treatment sessions are generally held weekly. Parents are involved as collaborators in treatment.

Group Coping Cat Treatment

The Coping Cat program is also conducted in group format. Groups meet weekly with children of similar ages.

Several of our CUCARD clinicians were trained directly by Philip C. Kendall, PhD, at Temple University. Our staff members are experts in the delivery of this evidenced-based treatment program, which we are proud to offer to children and adolescents with separation anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorders.