This book examines the critical function of being able to think and respond fluidly. Rigid patterns—like rumination, narrow ways of interpreting events, or behavioral avoidance—are often linked to problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders. Because of this, many effective therapies focus on helping people broaden their thinking and try new, healthier behaviors. This book brings together research from both science and clinical practice to explain what flexibility is and why it matters for mental health. It translates recent scientific findings into practical guidance for therapists and highlights current treatment approaches that target inflexible thinking and behavior.

Christina L. Boisseau, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine where she serves as training director for the clinical psychology PhD program.  Dr. Boisseau received her B.S. in psychology from Duke University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University. She completed a predoctoral residency and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Boisseau's research focuses on anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders using translational research methods to identify critical, transdiagnostic mechanisms of dysfunction and barriers to recovery. Dr. Boisseau's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Brown Institute for Brain Sciences and the Norman Prince Neuroscience Institutes. Dr. Boisseau has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and her work has been cited over 6,500 times. She an original coauthor of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders and maintains a clinical practice focused on the treatment of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders.

Evelyn Behar, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Dr. Behar received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Pennsylvania State University. She completed a predoctoral residency at the Boston Consortium for Clinical Psychology, where her primary placement was at the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital, National Center for PTSD. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. Dr. Behar’s research focuses on various transdiagnostic processes across a variety of anxiety and related disorders, focusing heavily on the effects of repetitive negative thinking on emotional processes within these disorders. Dr. Behar has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, and her work has been cited over 4,300 times. Dr. Behar has provided direct clinical services for anxiety and related disorders and has been intimately involved in training doctoral students in the delivery of cognitive-behavioral interventions.