meet
ALLISON
Get help from a trauma, anxiety & OCD therapist who specializes in working with children birth-12, teens, and their families.
Hi, I’m Allison.
Working with children and teens as a therapist has allowed me to witness the incredible strength of the human spirit — and the deep, universal need we all have to feel safe, seen, and connected. We all face hardship and challenges. But when those challenges come in the form of trauma, OCD, or severe anxiety — especially during childhood or adolescence — healing isn’t something we’re meant to do alone. We need support, understanding, and the tools to rebuild a sense of security and self-trust.
As a child and family therapist specializing in OCD, anxiety, and trauma, I create a safe and compassionate space for children, teens, and their caregivers to begin that healing work together. I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to treat OCD and complex anxiety, along with play therapy, expressive arts therapy, sand tray therapy, and EMDR for trauma. With teens, I also integrate DBT skills when helpful — especially for managing big emotions, navigating social stress, and building healthier coping patterns.
I work with children and teens facing a wide range of challenges, including OCD, separation anxiety, social anxiety, phobias (like emetophobia or fear of dogs), panic attacks, school refusal, PANS/PANDAS, and generalized anxiety. I’m also highly trained in supporting neurodivergent children and teens, including those with ADHD, autism, and learning differences.
In addition, I work with children coping with parental divorce, blended family transitions, grief from the death of loved ones (friends, siblings, caregivers), medical trauma, car accidents, abuse, and neglect. These experiences often leave young people feeling confused, unsafe, or disconnected from themselves — and our work centers on helping them reclaim a sense of safety, identity, and resilience.
My practice is a deeply affirming space for LGBTQIA+ youth and families. Identity is not a problem to solve — it’s part of the healing. Your child deserves to be met with respect, curiosity, and care, exactly as they are.
We are all more than our OCD. More than our anxiety. More than our trauma. More than our symptoms. We are full of potential, and the challenges we face are often what help us grow. I’m here to walk alongside you and your family — to help you find new hope, healing, and resilience, together.
In my work with elementary-aged children:
Many kids I work with struggle with anxiety, OCD, or trauma — often feeling like they’re not meeting expectations or don’t quite “fit in.” They may want so badly to do well but find themselves stuck in distressing thoughts, compulsive behaviors, or fears that are hard to explain to others.
Anxiety might start with something small — like a cafeteria worker accusing them of not paying when they truly thought lunch was free. That moment of shame can spiral into avoidance, fear, or even school refusal. With OCD, they may experience intrusive “what if” thoughts or feel intense pressure to complete rituals “just right” to avoid imagined consequences.
Some kids show a sudden onset of symptoms — aggression, separation anxiety, tics, or obsessive fears — after an illness or infection. When that happens, we may be looking at PANS/PANDAS, where brain inflammation plays a major role. These kids need care that sees the whole picture — emotionally, medically, and developmentally.
In therapy, we build a personalized toolbox of coping skills, teach the brain how to respond differently to fear or unwanted thoughts, and reinforce that emotions don’t define them. Whether it’s time-consuming compulsions from OCD, a fear of vomiting (emetophobia), a dog phobia, fear of needles, or just an overwhelming sense of worry, our goal is to restore confidence, connection, and calm. And when trauma is part of their story — whether it’s a single event or a pattern of feeling unsafe — we move at a pace that helps them process and heal with care and safety.
In my work with children ages 0–5:
Even our youngest children can show early signs of anxiety, trauma, or OCD — through intense separation distress, rigid routines, emotional outbursts, or fear-based behaviors. My work here centers on building secure attachment and co-regulation, so your child feels safe, seen, and understood.
We take a whole-child approach: nutrition, sleep hygiene, sensory processing, routines, and caregiver-child dynamics all matter. If your child’s behavior changed suddenly after illness or infection, we’ll explore PANS/PANDAS as part of our assessment, helping you navigate next steps if needed.
We also focus heavily on trauma in this age group — whether from medical procedures, early disruptions in care, or situations that were overwhelming for their developing nervous system. I support you, the caregiver, in learning how to buffer your child’s stress response and increase their capacity to thrive. You are their anchor — their Very Impactful Person — and your healing matters too.
In my work with teens struggling with anxiety, OCD, and trauma:
Teens often walk into therapy carrying layers of anxiety, obsessive thoughts, past trauma, and pressure to “be okay.” OCD in this age group may show up as mental rituals, excessive checking, needing things to feel “right,” or avoiding situations for fear of harming others or being judged. Many feel exhausted from hiding how much they’re struggling.
Some teens also experience PANS/PANDAS, where OCD symptoms, mood swings, rage episodes, or tics seem to come out of nowhere following illness. Families often feel scared and misunderstood — I work alongside them to validate the experience and support holistic treatment.
I bring a trauma-informed lens to all my work with teens — whether the trauma is from early childhood, bullying, medical trauma, or experiences that left them feeling unsafe or unseen. In therapy, we focus on building coping skills, increasing emotional regulation, and helping them trust in their own voice. As they begin to feel safer in their own mind and body, it’s a gift to watch them grow into who they are — and not just who anxiety, OCD, or trauma told them to be.
Set up your free 15-20 minute good-fit discovery phone call today.
My Professional Background
I completed a year-long training course from 2013-2014 while living overseas at the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education in London, UK. This provided in-depth training in utilizing art therapy including sandtray, puppetry, movement, painting, drawing, and sculpture. Utilizing these modalities with kids to promote healing is my dream job!
I am passionate about helping children, teens, and families build feelings of self-esteem, security, build emotional intelligence, and find healthy coping strategies to assist in healing, increasing resiliency, and healthy development.
Are you ready to start the healing journey for you, your child, or family? I’m here for you!
My Specialties
I work with children 0-12, adolescents, and their families.
OCD
Anxiety
Children ages birth-12
TEENS
Exposure and Response Prevention Play therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Sandtray, EMDR
TRAUMA
DEPRESSION
Contact
Arizona License: LPC 21260
Rates: Standard 45-50 minute session rate: $225
Email: allison@outsmartingocd.com
Phone: 623.267.8667
Are you ready?
Let us help you take charge of your life while anxiety takes a back seat.