How I Can Help

Services and Specialties

Anxiety and Panic

When Fear is Running Your Life

Fear keeps us alive. Our fight or flight response helped our ancestors escape attack by wild beasts of the day and it helps us respond to crazy drivers on US-75 during rush hour. In some of us, though, this chemical and electrical response in the brain has come to interfere with everyday life.

Anxiety can come with a range of symptoms from racing heart and chest tightness to sleep problems and avoiding everyday tasks. Each person’s experience of anxiety is unique and requires a tailored approach. Therapy can help you find the origin of the anxiety, some of your biggest triggers, and new strategies to cope with it.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Rituals and Obsessions Take Over

When most people think of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, they think of rigorous cleaning routines, hand washing, and perfectionistic personalities. While these can be a part of the disorder, OCD encompasses a wide variety of fears (obsessions) and rituals (compulsions).

Here’s a link to the International OCD Foundation website describing some common types of Obsessions and Compulsions

https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can be a lonely disorder, leaving the sufferer isolated with his or her own thoughts and fears. OCD can be hard to understand which contributes to feelings of shame. If you are struggling with intrusive thoughts that interfere with your life, treatment can provide significant relief.

When Working with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I use Exposure Response Prevention and Mindfulness as well as work with emotions and distress tolerance. I see therapy as a collaborative process of which the client has ownership.

If you think you may be struggling with OCD, it is important to see a professional that is trained is this area. Training for OCD care is very specialized. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach out.

Phobias

Embrace Life’s Challenges

The list of phobias seems to be as long and as varied as the wall of paint swatches at the hardware store. They range many subjects including animals, situations, natural disasters, and diseases, just to name a few. Many have long, odd names like Emetophobia (fear of vomit), Aichmophobia (fear of sharp objects), or Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (fear of long words). While each phobia is unique in its own right, they all have one thing in common: intense fear.

A phobia is more than being afraid of something specific. A phobia interferes with the sufferer’s life and functioning. The person with the phobia may be fully aware that his or her fear is beyond what is reasonable in the situation, but he/she feels powerless against it.

Treatment for phobias may include Exposure Therapy and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as well as other techniques such as mindfulness. The concept of exposing yourself to your greatest fear may sound like something you’d rather avoid at all costs. However, this is a gradual process of working up from less scary situations. The goal is that you feel empowered to move through life without the phobia interfering. If you find yourself avoiding certain situations or losing enjoyment due to fear, treatment can help you get your life back.