Introduction to the Special Issue on Cognitive and Behavioral Flexibility in Fear and Anxiety Disorders.

Stephens et al. (2018) wrote a short editorial. It opens a special journal issue. The topic is flexibility in fear and anxiety disorders.

The authors do not run an experiment. They do not test clients. They simply tell readers why flexibility matters for future research.

The paper reports no new data. It frames cognitive and behavioral flexibility as key ideas. It urges scientists to study how people shift thoughts and actions when anxious.

Mulder et al. (2020) extend the call. They test two brief CBT techniques in socially anxious adults. Both methods boost decentering, a form of flexibility, and lower anxiety.

Boulter et al. (2014) also extend the idea. They show intolerance of uncertainty links ASD and anxiety. Less flexibility predicts more worry.

Taylor et al. (2017) go further. They blend CBT and PBS for children with ASD and IDD. All three kids gain calm and lose problem behavior.

Pickard et al. (2019) sound a warning. Most CBT-anxiety trials for youth with ASD use mostly White, higher-SES families. Flexibility research may not yet fit your caseload.

You now have a map. Flexibility is the next frontier in anxiety work. When you write goals, add shifting sets, tolerating change, or decentering drills. Check if the client’s culture and income match the studies you cite. If not, adapt materials and track outcomes.