Lauren Helm

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing perceived harm. Effective treatment for OCD involves understanding the cycle of obsessions and compulsions and implementing strategies to manage symptoms.

Anxiety disorders can significantly impact daily life, causing excessive worry, fear, and avoidance behaviors that interfere with personal and professional activities. Treatment for anxiety disorders focuses on understanding the underlying causes of anxiety and developing effective coping strategies to manage symptoms.

Relationship issues can arise in various forms, impacting romantic partnerships, family dynamics, friendships, and professional relationships. Therapy focused on relationship issues aims to improve communication, enhance understanding, and foster healthier connections.

My practice may be a good fit if you are interested in improving your relationships. I specialize in working with relationship issues, and use CBT and ACT-informed interventions that strengthen interpersonal effectiveness skills, including active listening/validation communication skills training, assertiveness training, conflict resolution skills, and social skills training.

ACT can help us learn to become open, engaged, and aware to help you stop suffering & struggling with your thoughts, emotions, and pain. It often involved the practice mindfulness, acceptance, cognitive defusion techniques, values-clarification, and valued action to help us take meaningful action towards creating a fulfilling life.

CBT can help us break the cycle of problematic thoughts and behaviors by learning new ways of thinking and acting. Build and strengthen skills for dealing effectively for life, including problem-solving & time-management skills, emotion regulation skills, mindfulness/acceptance skills, distress tolerance skills, communication/assertiveness/interpersonal/relationship skills.

Exposure Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention is a specialized form of therapy designed to help individuals confront and overcome their fears and anxieties in a safe and supportive environment. ERP is a highly effective treatment approach that involves gradually exposing clients to feared situations, objects, or memories that trigger anxiety or distress. Through repeated and controlled exposure, clients learn to manage their fears and reduce their emotional response over time.

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP CBT) is a comprehensive therapy approach designed to effectively address a wide range of emotional difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and related disorders. Unlike traditional therapies that focus on specific diagnoses, UP CBT targets underlying emotional processes common across different conditions. By targeting these core processes, UP CBT aims to bring about lasting improvements in well-being.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a contemporary form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that focuses on mindfulness, acceptance, and behavior change strategies to help individuals live more fully and in line with their values. Unlike traditional therapies that solely focus on symptom reduction, ACT encourages clients to embrace their thoughts and feelings without judgment and to commit to actions aligned with their values. This approach fosters psychological flexibility.