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Hello! I am a licenced clincial social worker in Maryland and Ohio as well as a Certified Advanced Enneagram Spectrum Teacher (Type 5).

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Are you struggling with intrusive thoughts? Maybe your intrusive thoughts have become obsessions or excessive rumination? Ever wonder if you have OCD or have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder but traditional talk therapy and/or CBT hasn't quite helped. Or maybe you've been diagnosed with OCD but symptoms are returning.

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Are you engaging in compulsions? Checking to make sure you've done something over and over, making sure something feels "just right," checking related to your specific obsessions, ruminating or other mental rituals that happen internally. Stuck in a cycle of what ifs, anticipatory anxiety, doubting yourself or your thoughts? Do you find yourself seeking reassurance from others or by looking things up on the internet? 

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OCD can manifest in a wide variety of ways. It's more than just being highly organized or washing hands excessively. OCD is considered to be in the top 10 most debilitating disorders (according to WHO) and can take up to 14-17 years to get an appropriate diagnosis. Struggling to differentiate if your thoughts/behaviors are related to generalized anxiety, or OCD, trauma? We can figure out how to tease that out and appropriate ways to treat those symptom.

 

My background is working with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Highly Sensitive Persons and Empaths, and Trauma. I have been trained in CBT, mindfulness practices, Tapping (EFT and TFT), Enneagram teaching and have expanded my clinical training to include ERP (exposure and response prevention) which is the gold standard, evidence-based practice to treat OCD.

Subtypes of OCD: relationship, harm, just right, scrupulosity or religious themes, contamination, identity obsessions, postpartum, violent or other taboo obsessions, among others. It's not uncommon for there to be some shame, guilt, or even depression that is present with OCD/anxiety. By managing the OCD/anxiety symptoms, we can generally see an improvement in these areas as well.

Other related disorders that we can use ERP for include, skin picking and hair pulling (body focused repetitive behaviors), panic attacks and panic disorder, phobias, health anxiety, death anxiety, existential anxieties, environment anxiety, perfectionism, and hoarding. Food related disorders like anorexia, disordered eating, and avoidant and restrictive eating will be considered on a case by case consideration.

If you don't see your specific type of anxiety listed, doesn't mean ERP won't work for you. These are just a few types of anxieties/OCD patterns. There's a good chance ERP can and will work for you. It is highly individualized so we will create a plan that is specific to your fears/worries, avoidant behaviors, and rituals.

There is hope!! ERP is a highly effective treatment modality; it won't always be easy but there is a way through OCD and anxiety disorders. We will use our time to build on this sense of hope, incorporating mindfulness and self-compassionate practices, and learn to sit with the distress and uncertainty. You can learn to manage your OCD and anxiety, sometimes even with a bit of humor, and live your life in a way that is aligned with your values. ​​

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Who I work with: any of the OCD subtypes or related disorders listed above, generalized anxiety disorder, depressive disorders, trauma as it relates to anxiety/OCD, highly sensitive persons and empaths, someone wanting to learn more about their Enneagram style.

Ages 16+

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​Being mixed race myself, I enjoy working with others who are mixed race and/or anyone has ever felt "othered." One of my values is to continue to learn and that includes having cultural awareness and sensitivity whether that's related gender, ethnicity, or sexuality. 

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Areas I don't treat: in general I don't work with clients already diagnosed with personality disorders unless it is Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, substance use disorders, chronic pain, psychotic disorders, extremists, homophobia, sexism, racism.

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Please note, I do not offer consultation calls at this time. Please use the Contact me page to reach out and we can set up an intake appointment.

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