Lacy Allen Watkins

Lacy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor that specializes in working with clients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), specifically working with many parents when there is perinatal or postpartum OCD and postpartum depression. Subtypes of OCD that she is most familiar with in addition to perinatal/postpartum OCD are Harm OCD, Contamination OCD, and Sexual Obsessions (such a Pedophilia OCD P-OCD). She has seen many clients with counting and checking related compulsions as well.

She has provided Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) for over 10 years in the outpatient setting. In addition to ERP, she utilizes an inhibitory learning model and Acceptance and CommitmentTherapy (ACT). If it has been difficult to tolerate ERP, Lacy also has the option of providing Inference Based CBT (I-CBT) for OCD and will be able to provide Metacognitive Therapy as additional options. In addition, she will supplement sessions with partners and family members in order to assist them in learning more about OCD and to assist them in learning how to not accommodate behaviors that are keeping the OCD in place (all with permission from the client, if they would like anyone involved in their treatment, of course!)

Self-compassion is so important in this work and is a large area of focus that Lacy focuses on with her clients! As you're participating in ERP, with anxiety lowering and rituals decreasing, you will also be able to gain more tolerance of the uncertainty.