Rebecca Athanason LCSW
Austin Anxiety and OCD Specialists primarily treats OCD/OCD-related disorders (e.g., Trichotillomania, hair-pulling, tic disorder, etc.). I also specialize in the treatment of trauma, loss/grief, and eating disorders. I am telehealth only and see clients Monday through Thursday.
PTSD, grief-related issues, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and OCD. It is typically recommended that issues preventing movement or functioning in other areas of mental wellness be treated first (e.g., PTSD or grief impacting OCD signs and symptoms). I fit the best treatment approach to the client (i.e., CPT, CBT, ERP, and ACT).
I first gained experience with OCD from 2006-2010 at the University of Florida/Shands Child and Adolescent Psychiatry department under a mentor who often speaks at IOCDF conferences. I have attended several trainings in CBT with ERP (2006-2010, 2012, 2016+). I was under the mentorship of another fellow member of IOCDF upon being employed at Austin Anxiety and OCD Specialists in 2016. The mentor is also a graduate of the International OCD Foundation’s Pediatric BTTI and has completed specialized training through the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I now provide mentorship and case consult for OCD at the same practice.
I earned my MSSW at the University of Texas at Austin which emphasizes cultural competency and social justice education, training, and ethics. I am also a member of NASW which also emphasizes these values and includes them in their code of ethics.