Psychological Services
Treatment Center for Depression and Anxiety:
Evidence-based strategies for healing
Our treatment center provides services for both depression and anxiety. An experienced professional can create a supportive environment, combining therapeutic interventions to address both of these mental health challenges and guide you towards well-being.
Problems Treated
The Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center provides highly effective treatment using individual therapy for adults and young adults with a wide range of anxiety disorders and related conditions:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Phobias
- Health anxiety
- Perfectionism
- Procrastination
- Depression
- Low self-worth, self-esteem, and self-criticism
- Life stress and adjustment problems
Therapy Approaches
The Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center integrates principles of evidence-based treatment. This means that only methods supported by research to be effective for certain conditions are employed, producing greater results. Treatment is tailored to the individual rather than providing a "one-size fits all" treatment. The clinician uses their expertise, experience, and judgment to see what empirically supported method will be helpful for a given circumstance. Below are the therapies that principles are drawn from:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all connected to produce the symptoms that we experience, or the flourishing when we have healthier patterns. People tend to notice their feelings first, like anxiety or depression. We will look at the factors contributing to the emotional problems you're experiencing, including thoughts you're having (e.g., "I'm stupid") and the resulting behaviors that can keep us stuck (e.g., avoiding and missing out on certain opportunities). We'll use strategies to improve well-being, including self-monitoring, challenging thoughts, behavioral activation, problem-solving, and goal-setting.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
This therapy includes gradually approaching situations you fear to help the brain and body learn that these are not as dangerous as our anxiety tells us they are. In other words, we learn that they are "false alarms." Sometimes knowing something rationally isn't the same as experientially knowing it, which is more convincing for our bodies. We work together to develop goals for what you would like your life to look like, and see how anxiety is currently crippling your quality of life to begin undoing these patterns. Your therapist works as a coach alongside you to encourage and balance going at your own pace while challenging you to grow.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT balances acceptance and change, and is centered on four skill modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. Mindfulness is being aware of what's happening, living with your eyes open, so that you can choose how to act rather than react. Interpersonal effectiveness is how to get your needs met, keep and improve relationships or end destructive ones, and feel good about yourself after interactions. Distress tolerance is surviving emotionally tough moments without making it worse, and emotion regulation skills are helping to dial the volume up or down of your emotional response to have more control over your emotions. DBT skills are helpful for those facing overwhelming emotions, or we may integrate some of these skills throughout treatment where relevant. Note that the full DBT model is not offered at this center.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Often we can get so lost in the struggle against painful emotions, experiences, or situations, that the struggle against these ends up taking up much more of our energy than we have for other, more important areas of our lives. ACT looks at what your values are in life, what kind of a life you want to have, and pursues these values even with pain present. This often can help get unstuck, and paradoxically to decrease the suffering we experience. ACT is incorporated into treatment when setting goals, and is especially incorporated in exposure-based treatment where fear often gets the better of valued living.
Intensive Treatment
Accelerated treatment is available for those with higher severity anxiety or depression symptoms or those wanting quicker progress and relief from symptoms. This focused treatment is best suited for motivated individuals willing to challenge themselves, experience temporary discomfort, and put in the work.
This is a short-term, concentrated, and accelerated form of treatment using exposure-based therapy for anxiety and/or behavioral activation for depression. Sessions can be scheduled at up to a 5-day intensive treatment frequency for one to three sessions back-to-back, for a finite period of time. We discuss together what works best for your situation.
It is a helpful option for busy individuals wanting more rapid improvement for less disruption to their lives in the near future, or who may not be able to attend weekly individual therapy for a longer period of time. It is also a helpful option if either stepping down from an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and needing more than once-weekly sessions while transitioning, or to try to prevent a higher level of care. However, we may discuss if an IOP may be more appropriate for your individual needs. Inquire if the issues you're facing may be a good fit for this treatment option.
It is NOT appropriate for those with serious suicidal thoughts, self-harm, substance abuse, psychotic symptoms, or who are medically unstable.
- OCD
- Social anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Specific phobias
- Depression
- OCD
- Social anxiety
- Panic disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Specific phobias
- Depression
Anxiety & OCD Treatment Center
Oxana Stebbins, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
drstebbins@anxietyocdtc.com
(941) 254-6223
Englewood, FL 34223
Serving Sarasota County, all of Florida, Pennsylvania, and most states