When anxiety or OCD takes up too much room
Anxiety can be obvious: panic, racing thoughts, physical tension, or an urge to avoid. It can also appear through perfectionism, overpreparation, irritability, trouble sleeping, indecision, or the feeling that there is never enough time to get everything right.
OCD may involve unwanted or intrusive thoughts, images, or urges, along with repetitive behaviors or mental rituals intended to reduce distress or prevent something feared from happening. These patterns can consume significant time and interfere with school, work, relationships, and daily life.
Karen works with children, adolescents, and adults to understand how anxiety or OCD operates in their lives and what combination of treatment may be helpful.
Therapy for patterns that keep anxiety and OCD going
Using cognitive-behavioral and relational approaches, Karen helps patients identify patterns of thought, behavior, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, or repetition that reinforce distress. Therapy also considers relationships, family dynamics, stress, and earlier experiences that shape how a person responds now.
Medication may be considered when symptoms are persistent, significantly disruptive, or limiting a patient’s ability to participate in daily life or therapy. Decisions are individualized and monitored as part of the broader treatment plan.