ABOUT

Starting Line Counseling

Get out of your head and into the life you want to live today!

Overcome Your OCD and Anxiety

If you feel like you're calm, cool and collected on the outside, but absolutely on fire on the inside, you've come to the right place! My name's Pat and I provide a collaborative, warm, and person centered therapy experience to teens and early in life adults to help them overcome their OCD and anxiety around identity shifts, uncertainty about life, and major life changes!

I utilize interventions from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure and response prevention, and integrate mindfulness based strategies into my treatment. I can help you get your life back from worry, meet yourself, and start living life the way you want.

I offer both virtual and in-person sessions. I'm in network with a variety of insurances, can help with utilizing out of network benefits, and accept private pay clients. My rate is $150 for individual sessions.

What I Offer

Individualized Treatment

My practice offers treatment that is highly specific to the individual client, transparent, and a collaborative effort. Everybody is different, so it doesn't make sense for therapy to look the same for everybody! My focus is putting the person first and planning treatment together. I strive to educate my clients and help them understand their symptoms and treatment approaches. You'll know what we're doing and why we're doing it every step of the way!

Collaborative Care

Team work can be a valuable tool in helping you reach your treatment goals. With your permission, I collaborate with other members of your care team, family members, and anyone else important to you in making sure you're getting the most out of therapy. Confidentiality is crucial, so any collaboration happens with your written consent and can be changed at any time.

Progress Monitoring

Part of my therapeutic progress is monitoring progress, creating specific treatment plans, and ongoing case conceptualization. Throughout our work together we'll frequently review the treatment plan, monitor symptoms, and have an ongoing conversation about progress. I want you to feel in control of your therapy journey and make progress, so it's crucial for me that we're on the same page about what we're working on and how much progress we're making.

What to Expect from Therapy

Whether I'm the first therapist you've seen or the 100th therapist you've seen, it can be nerve wracking starting therapy with a new therapist! Here are some things you can expect in our work together:

Being a Partner in Care: as I mention above, your lived experiences and expertise on yourself are important aspects of the therapy process! I utilize an approach that plans treatment with you, meeting you where you're at, and working on what's important to you. My job is to be the expert on therapy, not to be in control of your life.
Learning Skills: I work with all my clients to add coping skills to their toolbox at the start. These skills vary from learning ways to cope with anxiety to learning ways to get our needs met and set boundaries with others. You'll also learn ways to challenge anxiety, boost your self esteem, and break free from compulsions. I focus on skills that are relevant to the individual, proven to be effective, and are easy to use. I also explain the rationale behind the skills and the ins and outs of how and why they work.
Connection to Values: every person's values and goals in life are different. In our work together we'll learn ways to connect with your values and make sure therapy is aligned with those individual values.
Challenging Anxiety: in our work together we'll use strategies to challenge your anxious assumptions and prove to yourself that you don't have to play by anxieties rules. This is done through a highly collaborative process.
Treatment for OCD: I use exposure and response prevention, the gold standard treatment approach, in treating OCD. I'm an expert in supporting my clients and meeting them where they're at and go at your pace in our exposure work. I conduct exposure exercises with my clients both in person and virtually.
Setting Goals: our work together is informed by your individual treatment goals. Everyone wants to feel less anxious and that's a fine goal, but maybe your goal is to show up to work on time, make more friends, or leave the house without triple checking you've locked the door. Our work is based off of your specific goals, leading to an effective and person centered therapy experience. Not sure what your goals are? That's okay! Part of our work together can be figuring them out.

While I make no guarantees about outcomes, our work together can help you feel less anxious, break free of rituals, create and strengthen relationships, and over come your fears.