Anxiety & OCD Treatment

overview of my approach to treatment

I specialize in treating anxiety and related disorders with evidence-based behavioral practice. I am primarily a cognitive behavior therapist (CBT), but I have extensive training in third wave treatments, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). I blend elements of ACT (values work, acceptance) and DBT (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal skills) into my clinical work.

I begin treatment with a thorough diagnostic evaluation and a values assessment. I then provide feedback on my findings and collaborate with clients to develop shared treatment goals. For clients who are experiencing anxiety, treatment goals often include returning to valued activities, such as attending school and work, traveling, or pursuing friendships and relationships. After setting our goals, I provide education on anxiety and its treatment. Then, we identify the specific areas where anxiety has interfered with life and develop a fear hierarchy. In the active phase of treatment, we begin facing fears directly through exposures and testing anxious thoughts through behavioral experiments.

I know that facing fears is difficult, so I bring my warm, collaborative, creative, and sometimes silly approach to support clients doing this challenging work.

cognitive behavior therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a group of evidence-based treatments that helps individuals intervene with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other emotional distress. CBT capitalizes on the fact that a person’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are interconnected and changing one can lead to a change in the others. For example, anxious thoughts often lead to anxious feelings and behavioral avoidance of anxiety triggers. CBT teaches individuals how to challenge anxious thoughts with evidence and then face fears head on in order to reduce behavioral avoidance. These changes lead to a reduction in anxiety symptoms.

Exposure therapy is an important component of CBT treatment for anxiety. In an exposure, a client gradually faces fears head on by engaging in activities they have been avoiding.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a form of exposure developed to address symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clients gradually face situations that trigger obsessive thoughts while fighting urges to complete their compulsions.

acceptance and commitment therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a behavioral treatment that helps clients first understand what is important to them and then to engage in behaviors that fit these values. ACT helps clients learn to accept the presence of unwanted thoughts and feelings that are part of human experience. ACT is experiential, meaning that therapists use activities and metaphors to help clients understand important ACT concepts. ACT principles are fully consistent with and can enhance exposure-based treatments.

dialectical behavior therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment that was initially developed to help clients who struggle with strong emotions and urges to engage in self-harm, but has been found to be helpful in addressing other symptoms as well. Full-model DBT has several elements, including a DBT skills training group to learn skills of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. I have extensive training in full-model DBT although I do not currently engage in full-model DBT in my practice. I have, however, found that incorporating DBT skills into traditional CBT treatment for anxiety and OCD can enhance client outcomes.

Areas of Specialty