Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) Therapists in Ann Arbor, MI

Hello! I wanted to use this space to share a little about my approach to therapy to see if we'd be a good fit for each other. My approach revolves around you, the client. I believe that you are the expert of your story, your experiences, your struggles, and your goals for therapy. I will meet you where you are and provide warmth, acceptance, and empathy. I enjoy building modalities and interventions based on your needs and interests and finding what works best for you. Recognizing that as this all can be a challenging and hard thing to do, I want to create a safe and validating place for you so we can tackle what needs tackling.

Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services is a specialty clinic that strives to provide high-quality, evidence-based treatment for those who are suffering from anxiety and OCD, and who otherwise may not have access to specialized therapy services. We work with children, adolescents, and adults, offering both individual and parent-based therapy.

My goal as a psychologist is to help individuals (children, adolescents, and adults) reach their full potential and live the life they want to live. By the end of our time together my hope is that you will have the tools and skills to no longer need therapy. I assist individuals in reaching that benchmark through the use of evidence-based approaches. I have expertise in the treatment of depression, ADHD, and trauma.

My work is short term and solution focused. I draw on several therapeutic approaches, depending on the nature of the problem, including behavior therapy, family therapy and strategic therapy. I have a diverse background from 50 years of experience in the treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. I am expert in a number of psychotherapeutic approaches, including short-term solution-focused therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, family-systems therapy, and psychoanalytic therapy. I developed an evidence-based wellness program with a positive psychology emphasis at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital.

Just “one last time,” you say to yourself. You have been telling yourself this same lie for years, hoping and praying that this time it will be true. Resisting the urge to check feels so impossible, but it seems like your only option is to give in. The OCD tells you that if you do the ritual just one more time, the anxiety will go away. Although you know logically that your fears are irrational, you cannot stop them, and feelings of panic and dread take over your mind. You crave just a moment of freedom from the grips of the obsession.

I utilize a compassionate, collaborative approach to find the tools that best fit the individual. You are the expert on your life. I want to work with you to identify your strengths, values, and beliefs. Together, we will explore your emotions, work on areas you would like to focus on and handle obstacles that may be preventing you from living true to yourself. These areas may involve us working on coping skills, mindfulness, interpersonal and problem solving skills, and becoming more empowered and comfortable with different emotions to understand and accept oneself better overall.

I am especially passionate about working with individuals who are struggling with: Anxiety (including Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, adjustment to life stressor/transition); Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; and finding meaning and purpose in their lives. I also work with couples who are struggling with: communication difficulties, maladaptive interactions, and wanting to build a stronger connection; one or both partners' ADHD symptoms impacting the relationship; one or both partners' Anxiety/OCD symptoms impacting the relationship, and trying to conceive/infertility stress and the impact on the relationship

Making the decision to meet with a therapist and finding the one that is right for you is often a very difficult and overwhelming. It is my hope that this page will ease some of those worries and provide you with a sense of hope. As a therapist, I strive to be real & down to earth when working with someone. My goal is to help you reach your goals, while providing a supportive & unbiased perspective.

I aim to create a safe and supportive space where you can open up about your struggles, fears, and vulnerabilities without judgment. This is the first step toward understanding and addressing the issues that may be impacting your well-being. I use a trauma-informed approach and have experience treating a wide range of symptoms including those resulting from anxiety, OCD, religious trauma, depression, and issues related to gender identity and sexuality.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, or shame? Do you wish you felt more empowered to set boundaries and say “no” in relationships? Are you stuck in unhelpful patterns or burdened by reminders of the past? As a therapist, I am passionate about helping individuals struggling with these questions and more. I enjoy working with people with a wide range of concerns, such as relationship challenges, life transitions, trauma, grief, anxiety, OCD, and depression. In my work, I help individuals strengthen their mindful awareness of emotions and patterns in relationships.

I specialize in therapy for anxiety and OCD in children, teens, and young adults; therapy and evaluations for toddlers, preschoolers, and young children; and parenting support. For young children, I offer diagnostic assessments to better understand their symptoms, development, and relationships, and to guide treatment recommendations. Therapy for young children can help them and their caregivers to improve their relationship, improve coping skills, reduce emotional outbursts or other mental health symptoms, and reduce parenting stress. I use strategies from evidence-based approaches, tailored for the needs of each family.

Regardless of how well we try to prepare, life and mental illness can get in the way of reaching our goals and living the life we want. Regardless of our age, life can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to identify how to make changes in our current situations and face our fears. Together we can work through these challenges and identify strategies to face them. I believe in validating and empowering my clients while adding valuable tools to their toolbox to help them create meaningful and lasting change.

Is something out of balance in your life? With yourself? Your child? Your effectiveness as a parent? Your relationships? Life circumstances/transitions? If it is, please know that my way of practicing is to non-judgmentally understand what is going on--what area of your life is being negatively impacted. Then we can collaboratively work on establishing goals and a treatment plan. Whether it is Anxiety, OCD, Autism (including very young kids with autism), Depression/Bipolar, Behavior Problems, ADHD, Trauma or Insomnia, there is a way for you or your child to feel more in control, grounded and balanced.

Dr. Avallone is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and trauma, anxiety disorders, depression and mood disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and related disorders. Dr. Avallone is committed to providing effective evidence-based treatments in order to help individuals learn skills to manage current and future symptoms successfully. She has received advanced training in evidence-based treatments for PTSD and trauma, including Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She is also a trained PE and PE for primary care (PE-PC) consultant.

It is difficult for children and adolescents to find an environment in which they can openly discuss the struggles that they are enduring. I work to facilitate an environment in which individuals can feel safe, supported, and understood, tailoring the dynamics within each session to meet each individuals unique needs. I then utilize an integrative approach - founded in Evidence Based Therapies - to specifically attend to each individual's needs so that they can most successfully overcome the obstacles that they are facing in their lives.

In my practice, I often work with people who feel very stuck. Sometimes this is because they feel stuck in a certain thought patterns or behaviors. Other times, they feel stuck in their relationships or their place in life. And other times, they feel stuck in emotions such as depression, numbness, and panic. I take a collaborative approach as a therapist and try to work with each person to understand what is causing difficulties and what might help. Sometimes this involves focusing on immediate concerns or goals, and other times involves exploring emotions or how the past has shaped the present.

Are you a driven, high-performing individual who struggles with anxiety, perfectionism or OCD? Do you feel like are always in your head, wearied by the constant thinking, analyzing, and ruminating? Do you find that despite your motivation for achievement, you feel exhausted, unfulfilled, and unable to live in and embrace the present? The craving for a balanced, peaceful and meaningful joyful life seems constantly unfulfilled; the harder you try, the further away your goal seems and the more short-lived your gains seem.

Imagine what life would be like if you weren't bothered by OCD. NOCD is here to help you regain peace of mind. NOCD is a digital health company that’s focused on effectively treating people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Inside the NOCD mobile app, you can work with one of our licensed mental health therapists with specialty training in OCD. When your therapist isn’t available, access support communities and therapeutic tools - so that you are never alone. NOCD’s protocol has been proven to reduce OCD severity by 40% in less than 10 weeks.

Are you in search of an online queer and trans-affirming OCD specialist? Do you yearn to reclaim your sense of agency, presence, and joy? Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by your sensitive nervous system, entangled in a whirlwind of spinning thoughts and relentless compulsions. I'm grateful you're here because it doesn't have to be this way. I support adults who are ready to look inward and not just manage, but transform their relationship with themselves, their thoughts, feelings and struggles. Whether it's anxiety, OCD, or challenges related to your identity, I am a therapist and fellow human who deeply gets it.