About Me
Hi! I'm Anthony. I'm a trauma-informed Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in providing psychotherapy for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Many of my clients struggle with thoughts and feelings (usually anxiety/guilt) that seem to feel intrusive, distressing, and demand an urgent response. My clients will make mental or physical efforts to relieve the distress but are generally unable to find lasting relief. Many suffer in silence as thoughts become too difficult to talk about. My treatment approach is specific to the individual and not just a protocol or "one-size-fits-all" approach. My primary method of treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP). I also draw heavily from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as well as mindfulness and 12-step. As someone who has 29+ years of living with OCD, I can say, with sincerity, that I feel your pain and I'd be honored to help you.
Specializing in anxiety, OCD, and related disorders
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an affliction involving unwanted thoughts, urges, or sensations that bring about distress in the sufferer. The sufferer will then engage in compulsive behaviors to try to alleviate the distress. These behaviors are not only physical but can be mental as well.
Panic
Sudden feelings of impending doom often accompany a panic attack. People who experience panic often have a rapid heartbeat, sweating, chills, dizziness, tingling, and a fear of another panic attack.
Generalized Anxiety (GAD)
Generalized anxiety, or GAD, is similar to OCD, however, the concerns involved tend to be focused on fears that most people would consider rational or reasonable, such as losing a job or getting in a car accident. The sufferer may also experience a feeling of uneasiness with no identifiable cause.
Health Anxiety/Illness Anxiety
Otherwise known as hypochondria, produces significant worry about a possible, or actual, health condition. Sufferers may go to extreme lengths to get some degree of comfort, such as: searching the internet for symptoms, visiting multiple doctors, or even avoiding doctors all together.
Social Anxiety/Social Phobia
Social anxiety is not simply shyness. Social anxiety occurs when a person's psychological and/or physiological responses to social situations or themes become extremely uncomfortable. While experiencing social anxiety, it is common to have racing thoughts, worry, and uncomfortable physical sensations such as a rapid heartbeat.
Dysfunctional or Inefficient Breathing
We breathe approximately 22,000 per day. Breathing improperly contributes to unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms. Improving various elements of breathing can help ease these unpleasant symptoms.
Phobias
Hair Pulling & Skin Picking
Phobias tend to be focused on one particular fear. There are a countless number of phobias. Some include fear of: needles, blood, flying, heights, spiders, snakes, enclosed spaces, and dogs.
Trichotillomania (hair-pulling) and dermatillomania (skin picking) are two types of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). Nail-biting and cheek-biting can be included in this category as well.