Symptoms I Treat

I work with individual adults and adolescents dealing with anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), depression, anger, grief, self-doubt, relationships, and other unresolved issues.

Therapeutic Methodologies

In understanding that our issues and circumstances are unique and sometimes complicated, I use a variety of integrated therapeutic methodologies. I may use an integrated approach of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure response prevention (ERP), acceptance commitment therapy (ACT), Rogerian, solution focused therapy (SFT), family systems, and mindfulness in helping my clients feel better about themselves and their condition.

Anxiety

Worry is normal and responds to common sense strategies to manage feelings. Anxiety disorders are different and typically do not respond to common sense strategies. Anxiety can manifest in different ways from generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorders, phobias, and panic attacks. Most people experiencing anxiety wait 4-5 years before they seek help. The average anxious person sees multiple therapists before they find the “right one.” Gaining insight on how the anxiety is triggered and fueled is vital to creating the plan to overcome its grasp of your thoughts. Anxiety craves being in control and is a master at manipulating your fear and uncertainty. We will explore a variety of techniques that best match your anxiety and tolerance to overcome these emotions. Chances are that your willingness to embrace the discomfort is the key for your healing. For lower levels of anxiety, using mindfulness and emotion regulation techniques may work to manage the discomfort. For higher levels of anxiety, ACT, CBT, and ERP are evidence-based therapies that are proven to help people work through the struggle to improve their life.

OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Unfortunately, OCD is often misunderstood by the person suffering from it, their loved ones, and sometimes professionals. Someone that is suffering from OCD is having an unwanted thought, image or urge that gets stuck and repeats itself in their brain. Typically these thoughts are related to disturbing “what if” scenarios and uncertainty that torment the sufferer. These obsessive thoughts trigger intense distressing feelings that manifest in compulsions to avoid or rid the person of the fearful thoughts. The compulsions are coping behaviors and rituals the person does in an attempt to neutralize or make the obsessions go away. Initially, submitting to the compulsions may temporarily ease the tension, however, this is frequently an OCD trap. Doing the compulsion does not totally appease the feeling. The anxiety does not fully subside and the rituals become more time consuming and can negatively impact the person’s quality of life, occupation, and relationships. People with OCD can feel as though they are going crazy and may not have shared their struggle with anyone. Being courageous and willing to meet the intensity of OCD daily with greater fierceness can impact the success. Fortunately, ERP in combination with CBT or ACT is proven to be the most effective therapy in dealing with OCD.

Anxiety Support Group

The purpose of this group is to provide support and encouragement to people working through their anxiety. This group is free to the attendees; however, there are a few requirements to attend:

• You must have a desire to improve your current anxious situation.
• You must be willing to attend the group on a regular basis for a period of time.
• You must be actively in therapy and willing to sign an Anxiety Group Disclosure.
• You must agree to maintain strict confidentiality with all personal information of other attendees and the content of what is shared.
• You must be respectful of the other participants in the group.