I Am Second honored me by asking to provide an article on the topic: 21 Ways To Thriving Mental Health from an Anxiety Specialist. Hit Hard By the Pandemic Katherine* was hit hard by the pandemic, and she didn’t understand why.  “I mean, my routines and orderliness can be a little overboard, but I’ve never had […]

One of my first questions to a professor in my earliest IOCDF BTTI (Exposure Therapy training) at Massachusetts General Hospital was, “What happens if someone actually gets sick after a contamination exposure?”  I haven’t forgotten the simplicity of the answer that went something like this: “People get sick all the time. Yes, that might create some additional […]

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD, can be fairly straightforward once understood.  However, certain nuances are crucial for facilitating learning, growth, and maximal fear disconfirmation (fancy terms for successfully overcoming fearful responses).  Here are 10 tips- click on the picture for a downloadable version: ​ Be prepared to feel uncomfortable- a […]

I am honored to be surrounded by incredible people who exhibit incredible strength and faith in the most trying circumstances.  These past few weeks as the Coronavirus has led to increased fears, panic, product hoarding, and expressed racism, I have seen the stellar example of many clients and friends wading these uncertain waters with confidence, […]

Join My List To Get The Full Guide If you have a child, significant other, or friend who has OCD, you likely know the suffering it can create. Or maybe you don’t; that’s okay. The unfortunate reality for most clients once they appear in my office is that OCD has culminated in tremendous levels of […]

An editor for the American Counseling Association reached out to me about OCD from a Specialists’ perspective.  (I was so proud of them for doing their research with multiple specialists!!). The following are excellent questions that may help inform their ACA magazine article in February 2020.  Whether they utilize any of these or not, I hope they […]

This post was originally published on 02/13/2014 on my wordpress and is newly updated. Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash “Why can’t I stop thinking about this?”  “Why can’t I stop?  I know it doesn’t make sense.” William went to the Middle East after his unit was deployed from Ft. Hood.  Most of what he heard […]

This video above and guide below were specially formulated to help you be mindful in an “Exposure-Friendly” way. This one’s a bit different from the average mindfulness practice you might be familiar with.  The reason it’s called “Exposure-Friendly” is that it is specially designed to help a person be mindful of whatever they are experiencing, […]

Thanks to Jonathan Hoxmark on Unsplash for this beauty! Perfectionism and OCD What is perfectionism?  Oxford dictionary defines it as “refusal to accept any standard short of perfection.”[1]  That’s automatically problematic.[2]  Perfectionism leads to a circumscribed focus, stress, and suffering for not only individuals, but for loved ones nearby who feel the weight of being perfect. Is […]

“Ah sugar, ah honey honey. You are my candy girl, and you’ve got me wanting you.”  The Archies may have been describing a relationship with their lyrics, but that’s been me with my relationship to actual sugar. I love added sugar.[1]  5 years ago, I easily would: Down 3-4 large glasses of Dr. Pepper with a great […]

The Bible has a lot to say about fear and anxiety.  In fact, some variation of “do not be afraid” is the most common directive in Scripture, occurring in some fashion more than ‘do not steal,’ ‘do not kill,’ and even ‘love your neighbor.’ How Does Anxiety Work? When we study these constructs in research, […]

Addiction is confusing.  It is confusing to seasoned professionals.  Let’s just admit it. It is not a specified diagnosis under the DSM or ICD; it’s only broadly referential to a sometimes amorphous categorization. Under the DSM-IV in 1994, only one vote separated the task force on substance abuse from using the term “addiction” instead of “dependence.” […]

  The Myth of Disappearing Distress. If I do the right things, I won’t have to face suffering, right? It’s easy for me as a therapist to exhort my clients to stay focused on the prize DESPITE the distress they feel. How easy it is to get off track! And while it’s also easy for […]

  What is Exposure Therapy? Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment that is practiced in Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  It is indicated as a first line treatment for a number of disorders such as Panic PTSD BDD GAD Even recent evidence for depression It is considered the “gold standard,” or best treatment for […]

In Vivo Exposure Directly facing feared objects or situations, examples include: Getting on a flight, touching a doorknob that feels “contaminated,” not going back to check a lock, or going to a social gathering. Good exposure attempts to match the content and detail of a person’s fear as close as possible. So, for example, if a […]