Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has been called "The Doubting Disease," and is characterized by relentless doubts, fears, “irrational” worries, and at its worst, terror and psychological torment. People with OCD experience doubts and fears which usually focus on whatever they most care about or highly value, such as their most important relationships, their moral character, their health or the health and well-being of those they care about. Sufferers use mental or behavioral rituals that provide temporary relief from the obsession, which become compulsions that can be painful in and of themselves. In a cruel irony, these compulsions may reinforce the obsession over time.

Contrary to popular depictions of OCD in media, persons suffering from OCD experience a high level of distress related to their obsessions, and become stuck in a painful repetitive cycle of obsessions and compulsions. This condition goes far beyond being “obsessed” with a great TV show or being “so OCD” about organizing (though symmetry or order can be a theme of OCD). I believe that people with OCD are trying to prevent their worst fear from coming true. We might think of the OCD as a protective strategy that, while well-intentioned, creates suffering because of its intensity, ineffectiveness at guaranteeing safety, as well as its usually ego-dystonic nature, meaning that it is usually unwanted and inconsistent with the person’s self-concept, needs, and wishes.

I provide compassionate and relational psychotherapy for OCD that is informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), as well as parts work and psychodynamic theories. If you would like to learn more about my approach to treatment, please feel free to reach out with your questions.

When we grieve, we often need the support of someone else who can help hold the grief. Rather than thinking about how something can be changed, we need a safe place in which our grief can be held and witnessed by another caring person. Grieving can be, and often is, a part of psychotherapy, but in grief counseling it is the main focus.

When acute conditions such as OCD have become resolved or better managed, grief, sadness, or other aspects of yourself may emerge. Once your OCD or other acute problem is resolved, you may find that there are other aspects of your life that you want to give attention to. I offer both short-term counseling to focus on a specific problem, and longer-term work to address deeper aspects of self that may benefit from therapeutic attention.

Chronic, long-term trauma, abuse, or neglect in childhood can have lasting effects on functioning later in life. It may be difficult to have trust in others, or even yourself, after experiencing trauma. A supportive therapeutic relationship can help to rebuild the ability to trust, as well as to work through and explore how your experiences have affected how you see yourself, others, and the world. Working through these experiences in the context of a warm, caring, and collaborative therapeutic relationship can allow you to become more aware of patterns that you would like to change in order for you to create connections with yourself and others that support a satisfying and meaningful life.

Social media and influencer culture can have a profound impact on how we feel about ourselves and our lives. We can compare ourselves to any countless number of curated and edited images online and, usually, we come up feeling that we are lacking or inadequate in some way. Social-media platforms use sophisticated technology to hook us and keep us on the app for as long as possible, targeting us with personalized ads that tend to promise easy solutions to our most profound insecurities and longings. Many of us are aware that we come away from these experiences with a sense of emptiness, disconnection, and meaninglessness. Together, we can discuss your social media use and how you may implement changes that allow you to have a more balanced relationship with social media and technology, and create more time and energy to connect with the people and pursuits that bring you a sense of meaning and fulfillment.

In general, psychotherapy is a process that offers an opportunity to explore and understand yourself and your experiences more deeply. The relationship between client and therapist provides an opportunity to develop insight into patterns that seem to show up between you and others in your life. Exploring these patterns within the context of a warm and understanding therapeutic relationship can lead to increased flexibility in how you think, feel, and relate to others, which can lead to increased satisfaction, a sense of meaning, and greater fulfillment.