meet
KRISTIN
Get help from an anxiety & OCD therapist who is also a parent.
Hi, I’m Kristin.
Through the years, I’ve seen parallels in my clients who struggle with anxiety and/or OCD. They are kind-hearted, empathic, smart, creative and talented. They share common themes of anxiety and OCD and would relate to one another if they met. We get to a point in therapy where my clients master outsmarting anxiety and OCD.
This is where magic happens. How do you move forward living your most favorite version of you? Either OCD and anxiety have run your life, or you’ve lived with someone affected by OCD, so it has taken up residence in your home, mind and body.
I want to help you discover (or rediscover) who you are, outside of the imprint OCD/anxiety has left on you. I want to help you discover or rediscover your dreams and needs in life.
In my work with high-achieving, over-functioning women and mothers who struggle with OCD, anxiety, people pleasing tendencies, and perfectionism:
I believe in taking chances in life with the conviction that things will work out when we do the work to understand ourselves, the external messaging that has become our self talk, and how we want to show up in our world. And that can feel all the more complex when you have anxiety and OCD.
How are you supposed to unpack where your beliefs come from or why you feel like you have to show up perfectly in order to belong when OCD is telling you that you’re a terrible person for having intrusive harm thoughts or that you are dying from cancer with no evidence?
We need to heal your anxiety and OCD first, and this journey will provide you with the best set of tools to face your fears and live a life you value. Compulsions, avoidance, reassurance seeking? You genuinely feel confident in saying no to these after our work together.
You’ll be ahead of the game when we start diving into what drives your perfectionism, your ‘always busy/hard to sit still’ energy, and your fear of being seen for exactly who you are.
In my work with parents of children with anxiety and OCD from a therapist who gets it:
Far too often in my work with children, I see how parents are also affected by OCD/anxiety. It is tricky to find the delicate balance between true acceptance of your child’s experience and modeling confidence in their ability to manage their symptoms. It is also tricky to balance tending to your needs while supporting your child, especially as they struggle with fears around death, being separated from you, or feeling like they are a bad person due to their intrusive thoughts. And YOU are their safe person.
I want to help you connect with your needs and dreams that you feel so disconnected from without sacrificing the needs of your child. You don’t have time for a bubble bath, and that’s not what you need anyway. You need a therapist who understands the unique needs and barriers of parenting a child with anxiety and OCD.
Whether your child is still little or you have a young adult struggling to launch, I am here to help you meet your needs so you can continue being the amazing parent and person you already are.
I believe that parents of children with anxiety and OCD need someone to look out for them.
In my work with high achieving, over-functioning men who struggle with health anxiety after years of hard work and success:
Men I work with typically have years of success and hard work under their belt. Between the ages of 45-65, they find themselves struggling with health anxiety and with a bit of anxious curiosity about their upcoming retirement.
Maybe anxiety has always been there, but it has never really impaired you until now. The most frustrating part of managing health anxiety is that you also have real physical symptoms or a chronic health condition to manage. It is hard to tell which is which, and it’s interfering with your concentration at work and with your family. You need a therapist who believes your physical symptoms and does not pass off absolutely everything as anxiety, coordinates care with your physicians. and will help you learn how to work with your anxiety to diminish it. That therapist is me.
Set up your free 15-20 minute good-fit discovery phone call today.
My Professional Background
I’m a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), licensed in both Arizona and Illinois, with my Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois.
I completed my anxiety and OCD training in a well-known behavioral health hospital in Illinois that has a reputation for being able to change lives from all over the country, Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in the Center for Anxiety and OCD.
I’ve run and worked in full day programs, half day programs, and hourly sessions that specialize in anxiety and OCD, so I have a thorough understanding of how much treatment it may take for someone to feel better and in control.
Since moving to Arizona, I have helped countless clients in my private practice and expanded Outsmarting Anxiety & OCD into our group practice to lean into my passion of mentoring therapists and expanding services.
I love teaching evidenced-based OCD/anxiety treatment to therapists so more people can get the help they need. This is how we expand resources for anxiety and OCD here in Arizona.
I cofounded and currently am President of OCD Arizona, our local nonprofit affiliate of the International OCD Foundation.
Most importantly, I am a mom of 2 toddler boys, a partner, and have 2 fur baby dogs.
Check out our community OCD walk each October!
My Specialties
I work with children 6+, adolescents, young adults, adults.
OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Anxiety
Social Anxiety, Phobias, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Separation Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
women
High achieving, over-functioning women and mothers who struggle with perfectionism (and anxiety/OCD)
parents
men
Contact
Arizona License: LCSW 15761
Illinois License: 149.020236
Rates: Standard 45-50 minute session rate: $225
Email: kristin@outsmartingocd.com
Phone: 872.333.9282
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Are you ready?
Let us help you take charge of your life while anxiety takes a back seat.