Therapy Services
What I Treat
I treat anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as my primary focus. I have special interest in scrupulous OCD / scrupulosity, but I treat all OCD themes. OCD and anxiety disorders are debilitating and cause suffering, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You are more powerful and courageous than you think - it is time to take your life back.
Even if you don’t get treatment with Leap, I strongly recommend getting help from someone who specializes in OCD and anxiety, especially if you have OCD. It’s very common for folks to suffer from OCD for years before even hearing about the gold standard treatment for OCD, exposure and response prevention. Many clinicians do not understand OCD and certain “treatments” can make it worse. See the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) OCD Treatment Guide for up-to-date information.
-
OCD is a mental disorder involving intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions), and repetitive, ritualized behaviors meant to decrease the discomfort from the intrusive thoughts (compulsions). It is a widely misunderstood disorder, even among mental health professionals. It’s important to find a therapist who uses the most up to date and evidence-based treatments for OCD. OCD is such a debilitating disorder, but you don’t have to let it rule your life!
-
Panic attacks are often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Those who truly experience panic attacks know how scary they are and how much they get in the way of daily life. It makes sense, then, that panic disorder involves efforts to avoid having another panic attack, and making sure they always have an easy escape and access to help. Panic disorder is often described as “fear of fear.” The good news is, panic disorder is highly treatable!
-
Agoraphobia is a fear of being in a situation or place that is difficult to escape or where you cannot get help if you need it. It can coincide with panic disorder. It often involves a fear of even leaving the home or leaving wherever is considered safe. Agoraphobia is another anxiety disorder that is treated well with exposure therapy.
-
Social anxiety disorder comes down to a fear of being judged or feeling humiliated. This can look like fear of rejection, or concern about being viewed by others as “weird” or “stupid”, or simply being terrified of doing anything that might cause embarrassment. Like all anxiety disorders, social anxiety makes our lives smaller through avoidance and fear. Social anxiety disorder makes it even more difficult to reach out for help, but if you’re willing to take that leap of faith, therapy can help!
-
People with GAD struggle with persistent worry that is difficult to control and with anxiety related to many different areas of life (e.g., finances, health, work, relationships). Those with GAD struggle with uncertainty, especially regarding the future, and typically develop a lot of habits meant to feel more in control (e.g., list-making, insisting on perfection, overplanning). GAD symptoms impact quality of life and can interfere with relationships and the things that are really valued in life. Treatment can involve learning strategies to manage symptoms, refocusing on what the client truly values in life, and learning to let go of the things that are outside of our control.
-
A specific phobia is diagnosed when there is a distinct, specific situation or thing that causes a lot of fear. Common phobias include fear of spiders, snakes, dogs, and blood/injury/injection. People with phobias tend to respond very well to exposure therapy, and tend to be the most easy to treat of the anxiety disorders.
While OCD and anxiety disorders are my main focus and specialization, I understand that these problems don’t occur in a vacuum! In addition to working clients’ OCD/anxiety, I also have training and experience in treating major depressive disorder, body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), and PTSD/trauma. I seek to understand my clients as a whole person, and meet them where they are at. I collaborate with my clients to decide what is most pressing and what needs to be tackled first. If there is a problem or symptom that is outside of my scope of competency, I let my clients know, and decide with them if a referral is needed. It’s important to me that folks get the best possible care.
-
Depressive disorders are the most common disorders that co-occur with OCD. It makes sense - OCD convinces us to avoid so many things, our world becomes smaller and smaller until we are isolated and feel like there’s no point to anything. Depression can be a result of OCD or anxiety, and it can also just also be there, hanging out with us and making our lives difficult. Either way, I am experienced in treating depression by itself and alongside OCD/anxiety.
-
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) involve impulsive, repetitive self-grooming behaviors that are excessive and can damage the body. Both skin-picking and hair-pulling disorder are OCD-related disorders, but BFRBs are not the same as OCD and require a unique approach that is tailored to the individual (see treatment modalities). BFRBs can involve many different behaviors, not just skin-picking and hair-pulling.
-
Insomnia and other sleep issues are common in folks experiencing anxiety and depression. I am trained in CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), an evidence-based non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia and certain other sleep problems.
-
Sometimes trauma is a part of the web of symptoms for folks with primary OCD or other anxiety disorders. Experiencing trauma can lead to PTSD, and it can also lead to other symptom pictures as well. For some, the core of their GAD or OCD symptoms, for example, is actually trauma. For others, part of the treatment journey is piecing out which triggers are related to trauma and which triggers are related to another anxiety-based disorder.
Call to schedule a free 15-minute consultation
(414) 207-4648
Who I Treat
I provide individual virtual therapy for adults (age 18+) with primary problems of OCD and/or anxiety. I am licensed in Wisconsin, my home state, and I am authorized through PSYPACT (see this website for more information) to provide telepsychology (AKA virtual therapy) in all PSYPACT states. Leap is a fully virtual practice, so clients will need access to a consistent internet connection in a private space.
-
Primary OCD or anxiety
-
Adults (18+)
-
Living in PSYPACT state
I am passionate about evidence-based practice, which is an approach that uses science as well as my own clinical experience and my client’s preferences and needs to shape my recommendations and the clinical decisions that I make. In other words, I care about using treatments that work. My primary theoretical orientation is cognitive-behavioral, and the treatments and strategies I use fall under the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) “umbrella.” CBT in general has a strong evidence base, and involves many different treatments that are empirically supported for specific problems. I also integrate acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a “third-wave” cognitive behavioral therapy, into treatment.
The gold standard treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP), which I use while integrating components of ACT. For other anxiety disorders, I use exposure therapy and I may integrate ACT as well as other cognitive-behavioral strategies, as needed. For depression treatment, I use evidence-based CBT treatments. I am trained in Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) treatment for BFRBs.
Along with my commitment to evidence-based practice, I am also committed to understanding clients as a whole person. I meet my clients where they are at and encourage them to take the steps (and leaps!) that they need to grow. My practice is called Leap Counseling and Consultation because exposure therapy is about taking a leap of faith, into the unknown, day by day. It is a way that I reframe uncertainty, which for many of us is so very scary, into something positive and meaningful - although still definitely scary! I find that we have more courage inside us than we think we do, and it is my privilege to see my clients show that courage to begin living the life they want to live.
Theoretical Orientation
& Treatment Modalities
The full process of therapy looks a little different for every client. Generally, treatment starts with information-gathering. I complete an assessment of the problem and gather background information to help me understand you as a person.
Once I have completed the assessment, we will discuss my understanding of the problem. I may provide a diagnosis if one is indicated, and we will discuss my recommendations for treatment. Typically, the next step involves psychoeducation, which is a fancy word for education about the symptoms you are having, the reasons why it isn’t getting better, and what we need to do to address the problem. Then, we start!
The most overarching goal of exposure therapy is to change your relationship to anxiety. By nature, our response to anxiety is to avoid or prevent it. That is what anxiety is for - to alert us to perceived danger, and to assist our bodies in finding safety (by fighting, running away, or, in some cases, freezing up). But when we feel anxious all the time, this is a problem; avoidance becomes excessive and keeps us from living the life that we want. So, instead of having an automatic “avoidance orientation” to anxiety, exposure therapy helps us build an “approach orientation.” Instead of avoiding anxiety at all costs, we learn to be brave and move toward our fears, taking a leap of faith in order to build the life we want to live. Through exposure therapy, we learn to tolerate - and even welcome - anxiety as a part of our life. By no longer struggling against our anxiety all the time, we free our time and energy for the things we truly value.
What Can Clients Expect in Therapy?
Free Initial Consultation
I offer a free 15-minute initial consultation call to answer questions and discuss what you’re struggling with. After the initial consultation, if we have both decided Leap is a good fit, the first session will be scheduled.
Schedule the consultation through my contact form: