Evidence-based treatment for anxiety and related disorders

About Dr. Laurie Zandberg

Welcome!

Dr. Zandberg is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized expertise in cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) and exposure therapy for a wide range of anxiety and related disorders. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and formerly faculty at the internationally renowned Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Zandberg is dedicated to increasing access to treatments supported by science and has been involved in numerous projects with the City of Philadelphia and US Department of Defense to enhance training of mental health professionals in evidence-based treatments for PTSD and anxiety. She is a certified supervisor for Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD, and provides training and clinical consultation to psychiatry residents and licensed clinicians looking to expand their competence in CBT.

Dr. Zandberg is fortunate to have trained and collaborated with several leaders in the field of psychology. She completed her BA in psychology at Cornell University and her doctorate (PsyD) at Rutgers University under the mentorship of CBT and eating disorder expert Dr. G. Terence Wilson, PhD. Her post-doctoral fellowship and subsequent faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) offered extensive training and collaboration with Dr. Edna Foa, PhD, the developer of Prolonged Exposure for PTSD and a field leader in studying and improving CBT for OCD and anxiety disorders, as well as sleep medicine and insomnia expert Dr. Michael Perlis. Dr. Zandberg’s research focused on evaluating strategies to increase public access to evidence-based therapies, and on better understanding factors that are associated with positive response to CBT. Using that foundation, she now spends the majority of her practice translating the latest in clinical research into compassionate and collaborative treatment sessions with her clients. Dr. Zandberg’s style in sessions is warm and relatable, and her aim is to help each client master the skills they need to make – and sustain – positive changes in their lives.

Dr. Zandberg has published over 30 articles and book chapters in respected journals and texts. She is an editorial board member for the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, and an active member and contributor to the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT).

Empirically supported treatments offered:

Exposure and Response Prevention (Ex/RP) for OCD
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for PTSD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E)
Cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder
Habit reversal training (HRT) for body focused repetitive behavior (e.g., hair pulling, skin picking).

If you are interested in learning more about working with Dr. Zandberg, please contact her by email (mail@drlzandberg.com) or by phone (267) 607-3703.

Selected Publications

Foa, E. B., Zandberg, L. J., McLean, C. P., Rosenfield, D., Fitzgerald, H., Tuerk, P. W., Wangelin, B. C., Young-McCaughan, S., & Peterson, A. L.; for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2019). The efficacy of 90-minute versus 60-minute sessions of prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder: Design of a randomized controlled trial in active duty military personnel. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(3), 307-313.

Brown, L. A., Zandberg, L. J., & Foa, E. B. (2019). Mechanisms of change in prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD: Implications for clinical practice. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 29(1), 6-14.

McLean, C.P., Zandberg, L.J., Roache, J.D., Fitzgerald, H., Pruiksma, K., Taylor, D….Foa, E.B. (2019). Caffeine Use in Military Personnel with PTSD: Prevalence and Impact on Sleep. Behavioral Sleep Medicine. 17:2, 202-212.

Myers, L., Zandberg, L.J. (2017). Prolonged exposure therapy for comorbid psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and posttraumatic stress disorder (2017). Clinical Case Studies, 17, 3-20.

Foa, E. B., McLean, C. P., Zandberg, L. J., Zang, Y., Asnaani, A. Benhamou, K., Rosenfield, D., Campbell, H., Francis, J., Hanson, B. S., Lillard, I. J., Patterson, T. J., Scott, V., Weber, C., Wise, J. E., Zamora, C., Mintz, J., Young-McCaughan, S., & Peterson, A. L.; for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2017). The implementation of Prolonged Exposure: Design of a multisite study evaluating the usefulness of workshop with and without consultation. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 61, 48-54.

Foa, E.B., Asnaani, A., Rosenfield, D., Zandberg, L.J., Gariti, P., Imms, P. (2017). Concurrent Varenicline and Prolonged Exposure for Patients with Nicotine Dependence and PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85, 862-872.

McLean, C. P., Zang, Y., Zandberg, L., Bryan, C. J., Gay, N., Yarvis, J. S., & Foa, E. B. (2017). Predictors of suicidal ideation among active duty military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 208, 392-398.

Zandberg, L.J. & Foa, E.B. (2017). Exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. In Cook, J., Gold, S., & Dalenberg, C. (Eds), APA Handbook of Trauma Psychology (pp. 169-192). American Psychological Association.

Zandberg, L.J., & McLean, C. (2017). Exposure therapy. In A. E. Wenzel (Ed) Sage Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology pp. 1386-1389). New York: Sage Publications.

Capaldi, S., Zandberg, L.J., & Foa, E.B. (2017). Prolonged Exposure Therapy. In Landolt, Cloitre, & Schnyder (Eds.) Evidence-based Treatments for Trauma-Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents (pp. 209-226). Springer International.

Zandberg, L.J., Capaldi, S., Foa, E.B. (2016). Evidence-based treatment for child and adolescent post-traumatic stress disorder. In Theodore, L.A. (Ed.), Handbook of Applied Interventions for Children and Adolescents (pp. 325-339). Springer Publishing.

Asnaani, A., Zandberg, L.J., Petersen, J. (2016). Barriers to CBT training: Is mobile technology the solution? The clinical psychologist, 69(4), 6-13.

Zandberg, L.J., Kaczkurkin, A. N., McLean, C. P., Rescorla, L., Yadin, E., & Foa, E. B. (2016). Treatment of adolescent PTSD: The impact of prolonged exposure versus client‐centered therapy on co‐occurring emotional and behavioral problems. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 29(6), 507-514.

Zandberg, L.J., Rosenfield, D.R., Alpert, L., McLean, C.P., & Foa, E.B. (2016). Predictors and moderators of drop out during concurrent treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence: Rate of improvement matters. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 80, 1-9.

Su, Y.J., Carpenter, J.K., Zandberg, L.J., Simpson, H.B., & Foa, E.B. (2016). Cognitive mediation of symptom change in exposure and response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder. Behavior Therapy, 47, 474-486.

Capaldi, S., Asnaani, A., Zandberg, L.J., Carpenter, J.K., & Foa, E.B. (2016). Therapeutic Alliance during prolonged exposure versus client-centered therapy for adolescent posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology, epub ahead of print, doi: 10.1002/jclp.22303

Zandberg, L.J., Rosenfield, D.R., McLean, C.P., Powers, M.B., Asnaani, A., & Foa, E.B. (2015). Concurrent treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence: Predictors and moderators of outcome. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84, 43-56.

Zandberg, L.J., Zang, Y., McLean, C.P., Yeh, R., Simpson, H.B., & Foa, E.B. (2015). Change in Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms Mediates Subsequent Change in Depressive Symptoms during Exposure and Response Prevention. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 68, 76-81.

Zandberg, L.J., Skriner, L.C., & Chu, B.C. (2015). Client-therapist alliance discrepancies and outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy for youth anxiety. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71, 313-322.

McLean, C.P., Zandberg, L.J., Carpenter, J.K., Simpson, H.B., & Foa, E.B. (2015). Exposure and response prevention helps adults with obsessive compulsive disorder who do not respond to pharmacological augmentation strategies. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 76, 1653-1657.

Asnaani, A., Farris, S.B., Carpenter, J.K., Zandberg, L.J., & Foa, E.B. (2015). The Relationship between Anxiety Sensitivity and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What is the impact of nicotine withdrawal? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39, DOI: 10.1007/s10608-015-9685-5.

Zendegui, E.A., West, J.A., Zandberg, L.J. (2014). Binge eating frequency and regular eating adherence: The role of eating pattern in cognitive behavioral guided self-help for recurrent binge eating. Eating Behaviors, 15, 241-243.

Chu, B.C., Skriner, L.C., & Zandberg, L.J. (2013). Trajectory and predictors of alliance in cognitive behavioral therapy for youth anxiety. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 43, 721-734.

Zandberg, L.J., & Wilson, G.T. (2013). Train-the-trainer: Implementation of cognitive-behavioral guided self-help for recurrent binge eating in a naturalistic setting. European Eating Disorders Review, 21, 230-237.

Chu, B.C., Skriner, L.C., & Zandberg, L.J. (2013). Shape of change in cognitive behavioral therapy for youth anxiety: Symptom trajectory and predictors of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 573–587.

Sysko, R., Zandberg, L.J., Devlin, M.J., Annunziato, R.A., Zitsman, J.L., & Walsh, B.T. (2013). Mental health evaluations for adolescents prior to bariatric surgery: A review of existing practices and a specific example of assessment procedures, Clinical Obesity, 3, 62-72.

Wilson, G.T., & Zandberg, L.J. (2012). Cognitive behavioral guided self-help for eating disorders: Effectiveness and scalability. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 343-357.