Symptoms I Treat

I work with individual adults and older adolescents experiencing significant anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and obsessive rumination. These conditions often co-occur with depression, anger, grief, self-doubt, shame, relationship challenges, and other unresolved emotional issues.

Therapeutic Approach

Recognizing that each person’s circumstances are unique and sometimes complex, I utilize a thoughtfully integrated therapeutic approach tailored to individual needs. Depending on the client, I may draw from a combination of:

·         Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

·         Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

·         Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

·         Rumination-Focused ERP (RF-ERP)

·         Metacognitive Therapy (MCT)

·         Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT)

·         Family Systems

·         Mindfulness-based interventions

My goal is to support clients in developing strategies that align with their values, goals, and personal tolerance levels to foster meaningful and lasting change.

Anxiety Disorders

While occasional worry is part of being human, anxiety disorders are more persistent and intrusive - and often unresponsive to “common sense” strategies. They can take the form of generalized anxiety, social anxiety, specific phobias, or panic attacks.

It’s common for individuals to struggle for years - often seeing several therapists before finding the right kind of help. Understanding how anxiety is triggered and maintained is key to developing an effective treatment plan. Anxiety thrives on control, and it manipulates fear and uncertainty to keep its grip.

Together, we will explore tools and approaches that match your level of anxiety and emotional tolerance. For lower levels of anxiety, techniques like mindfulness and emotional regulation may be sufficient. For more entrenched symptoms, evidence-based therapies such as ACT, CBT, and ERP have been shown to significantly reduce anxiety and restore quality of life.

Quick Anxiety Self-Assessment - You don’t need to answer “yes” to all of these for them to be relevant.

1. Do you often feel tense, restless, or on edge, even during everyday situations?

2. Do worries or concerns tend to linger, making it difficult to relax or feel mentally at ease?

3. Do you notice physical signs of anxiety—such as muscle tension, shallow breathing, fatigue, or a racing heart—especially under stress?

4. Do you frequently anticipate problems or negative outcomes as a way of trying to stay prepared or avoid difficulty?

5. Does anxiety interfere with your sleep, concentration, mood, or ability to enjoy daily activities?Do worries or concerns tend to linger, making it difficult to relax or feel mentally at ease?

* This quick anxiety self-assessment is not a diagnosis. Anxiety exists on a spectrum, and many people experience it at different points in life. These questions are intended to help you notice patterns and decide whether further support or skill-building might be helpful.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is frequently misunderstood - not just by those who suffer from it, but also by their loved ones and, at times, by professionals. Many individuals with OCD hide their symptoms due to shame or fear of judgment, especially mental compulsions, which are less visible than physical ones.

At its core, OCD involves distressing, intrusive thoughts, images, or feelings, followed by an intense urge to neutralize them through rituals or avoidance. Despite efforts to relieve the discomfort, the anxiety rarely subsides completely, leading to increasingly time-consuming and life-disruptive compulsions.

Common physical compulsions include:

·         Repeated checking

·         Excessive hand washing or cleaning

·         Ordering or arranging

·         Perfectionism

·         Rituals involving light switches, tapping, or counting

These behaviors, while offering temporary relief, ultimately reinforce the obsessive cycle. Many people with OCD are painfully aware that their thoughts are irrational, yet feel powerless to stop the compulsions. This can lead to significant impairment in relationships, work, and overall functioning.

Treatment requires courage and a willingness to face discomfort head-on. ERP, often used in conjunction with CBT or ACT, is considered the gold standard in OCD treatment and has proven effective in helping clients regain control over their lives.

Quick OCD Self-Assessment - You don’t need to answer “yes” to all of these for them to be relevant.

1. Do you experience repeated, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that feel difficult to ignore or control?

2. Do you feel compelled to perform certain actions, rituals, or mental routines to reduce anxiety or prevent something bad from happening?

3. Do your thoughts or behaviors take up a significant amount of your time or interfere with your daily life?

4. Do you worry excessively about making mistakes, being responsible for harm, or doing something “wrong” even when there’s no evidence of danger?

5. Do you try to avoid situations, people, or activities to prevent distressing thoughts or urges from arising?

* This quick OCD self-assessment is not a diagnosis. Many people experience obsessive thoughts or urges from time to time. These questions are designed to help you notice patterns and consider whether strategies for managing OCD-like behaviors might be helpful.

Obsessive Rumination

Obsessive rumination is not the same as problem-solving or deep thinking - though it often feels that way, making it especially confusing. It typically involves persistent, looping thoughts that feel urgent and sometimes, almost solvable. Since these symptoms occur internally, they’re often invisible to others, and they can begin subtly or even in childhood.

These ruminations may sound like:

·         “What if I did something wrong?”

·         “Why can’t I stop thinking this?”

·         “Does this mean I’m a bad person?”

·         “What if I’m going crazy?”

Despite efforts to "figure it out" or find certainty, relief never fully arrives. This cycle creates mental exhaustion and emotional distress and is sometimes referred to as Pure "O" (a form of OCD that involves primarily mental compulsions).

The issue isn’t the presence of the intrusive thoughts - it’s the compulsive mental response and the urge to resolve or neutralize them that maintains the disorder.

In treating obsessive rumination, I use a combination of ERP, ACT, CBT, and MCT to help clients learn how to disengage from these thought loops and respond to distress in a more empowering way.

Quick Mental Compulsions Self-Assessment - You don’t need to answer “yes” to all of these for them to be relevant.

1. Do you get stuck mentally going over the same thoughts, questions, or scenarios, even when you want to move on?

2. Do thoughts return again and again after you believed they were already resolved or no longer relevant?

3. Do you mentally replay past events, conversations, or decisions in an effort to feel certain, reassured, or at peace?

4. Do some thoughts feel intrusive or distressing, as if they appear against your will and demand your attention?

5. Do you feel driven to analyze, monitor, or manage your thoughts in order to prevent anxiety, guilt, or a sense that something is wrong?

* This quick mental compulsions self-assessment is not meant to confirm or rule out any mental diagnosis, nor does it mean that something is “wrong” with you. Many people experience these patterns during periods of stress, anxiety, or burnout.

Take the First Step Toward Healing

You don’t need all the answers to OCD or anxiety to start moving forward. Recovery begins with one small act of courage: taking the next step, right now. You don’t have to wait until you “feel ready” to start feeling better—you start by acting, and the progress follows.

You don’t have to do it all at once, and you don’t have to do it alone. Choose this moment. Choose to reach out. Choose to connect with someone who understands and has helped others.

Every small step, taken with support, brings you closer to freedom from unhelpful thoughts and patterns.