Integrating mindfulness-based practices with exposure therapy can support emotional processing in anxiety disorders and related conditions (e.g., OCD, PTSD, etc.) marked by Neuroticism (Molnar, 2025). Mindful exposure supports activation of emotion and a non-avoidant relationship with the elements that compose emotion. In therapy it is followed by inquiry and emotional processing processes to integrate corrective information about the outcome of exposure. Such inquiry reduces symptoms and risk of relapse. Potential mechanisms through which mindfulness-based practices facilitate exposure procedures include processes that are relational, attentional, perceptual, metacognitive, intentional, and automatic.
In the selection for the next Mindful Monday journal club series, attendees will inquire into how scientific methods and findings described within the featured peer-reviewed journal article have implications for how to integrate mindfulness and related wisdom practices into exposure interventions.
The hour begins with demonstration of a 5-minute MBCT practice, guided with fidelity, by an MBCT teacher trainer, at the beginning of the meeting. The guided practice illustrates experientially elements of mindfulness that can facilitate emotional processing.. All attendees are asked to read the featured journal article in advance of the training and will receive resources for developing competence in offering mindfulness-based practices that facilitate emotional processing of corrective information that is linked to symptom reduction and prevention of relapse.
Required reading (featured journal article - click link to download)
Brake, C. A., Sauer-Zavala, S., Boswell, J. F., Gallagher, M. W., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2016). Mindfulness-based exposure strategies as a transdiagnostic mechanism of change: An exploratory alternating treatment design.
Suggested readings*
Michalak, J., Crane, C., Germer, C. K., Gold, E., Heidenreich, T., Mander, J., ... & Segal, Z. V. (2019). Principles for a responsible integration of mindfulness in individual therapy. Mindfulness, 10(5), 799-811.
Molnar, C. (2025)*. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Curriculum, Training, and Clinician Guide. In The Palgrave Handbook of Third-Wave Psychotherapies (pp. 489-512). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Molnar, C. (Spring, 2026). Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Related Conditions. The Pennsylvania Psychologist, 28-29.
*Registrants will receive a copy of the chapter by Dr. Molnar and additional resources for deleveloping competence.
CE Learning Objectives
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe at two features that make exposure therapy mindfulness-based to facilitate emotional processing of corrective information.
- Describe two ways to integrate findings described within Blake at al. (2016) into mindful exposure therapy in an individual psychotherapy session.
- Describe a practice plan and 2 resources for developing competence integrating mindfulness-based practices into exposure therapy in individual psychotherapy sessions.
- Observe an MBCT teacher trainer who meets criteria for inclusion on the international registry [www.accessmbct.com], as both therapist and teacher trainer, implementing a 5 minute formal guided practice.
About Presenter
Chris Molnar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator, founded Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center (META Center) in 2007. She completed doctoral training at the Pennsylvania State University and post-doctoral fellowship training in traumatic stress, neuroscience, and psycho-physiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, emotional, and stress-related conditions using evidence-based practices. Through a co-sponsorship between META Center & PBTA she leads one of the handful of professional MBCT Teacher Training Organizations in the USA and virtually offering Continuing Professional Development. This includes the week-long professional CE retreat workshop for professionals seeking foundational training to develop competence teaching MBCT. She also teaches both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in individual and group psychotherapy formats. She has developed adaptations for highly distressed clients, using Relational Mindfulness Practices (RMPs), to meet the needs of clients who have difficulty initially with the traditional 8-week MBSR & MBCT programs and elements. At META Center, she offers integrative interventions grounded in findings about the brain, emotion, and learning to facilitate mental and behavioral habit change, even in the face of severe distress. Before founding META Center, she served as a clinical investigator and therapist supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and other agencies. She is also on the editorial board of Behavior Therapy and serves the public in many ways, through professional presentations, workshops, publications, and affiliations.
Target Audience
This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.
Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice.
Continuing Education
- Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
- This program provides one (1) CE credits
- PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-Psychologist Licensees outside of PA & practitioners outside of the USA please confirm eligibility with your specific licensing board.
- Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed.
- All events are Eastern Time Zone
- Contact Claire, PBTA's CE assistant if you need any learning accommodations no later than one week before event. Email Claire at pbtacontinuingedassistant@gmail.com
