If you have experienced these physical symptoms or recurring worry about a particular theme, I am here for you.
If you experience thoughts directly opposing what you know you value, and it feels absolutely terrifying, I am here for you.
If you experience urges to avoid or fear around specific people, places, or things, I am here for you.
If you are wondering “wait, is this anxiety, OCD, relational anxiety or OCD, or both??” I am definitely here to talk with you!
When we think about approaches to anxiety and OCD, you might have heard of CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or psychoanalysis, but there is also an approach of Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD (ERP for OCD).
CBT and psychoanalytic approaches can both be incredibly helpful for some clients experiencing symptoms of anxiety. I utilize these approaches, and many others often, and intentionally when we have found these to be most helpful for clients to achieve their goals.
However, if we are experiencing recurrent intrusive thoughts and responding with rumination, or avoidance, for example, the last thing we want to do is reinforce that the intrusive thought was helpful by psychoanalyzing it.
ERP is considered the “gold standard” for working with and treating OCD due to the high levels of evidence based research and efficacy this approach has shown repeatedly when implemented. The great thing about ERP is that it is also applicable to anxiety for some, and working with symptoms of both.
Throughout my practice I have been trained in, receive continued training and education in, and implement ERP as an approach to OCD and adapt other evidence based practices such as Acceptance and Commitment informed ERP with anxiety as well.
As I have worked with client’s experiencing anxiety, OCD, and trauma, I have learned to recognize and approach client’s presenting concern with not only empathy and compassion, but continued training, and practice in evidence based approaches because I have found it necessary to client success.
If you’re experiencing intrusive thoughts, anxious feelings, or any combination of all the incredible (and sometimes frustrating) things our body and life can give us, I would love to talk more and see if I could be a great fit for what you’re hoping to work with!
Anxiety + OCD
Anxiety can be a feeling of fear, dread, worry, or lingering stress.
Oftentimes we talk about the physical experience of anxiety; increased heart rate, sweating, muscle tension, clenched jaw, (just to name a few) are noticed and interpreted as they occur.
Some descriptions of anxiety include a cognitive or thinking component to the description such as worry, overwhelm, and behavioral responses such as avoidance or rumination. My job as a therapist working with anxiety and OCD is to help clients differentiate between the two and use my area of expertise to provide evidence based approaches to working with both, and adjusting my approach as needed throughout sessions.