Specialty Therapy Groups
Sometimes the most difficult part of seeking support is believing that someone will truly understand what you’re experiencing.
Whether you’re struggling with hair pulling, skin picking, or intense reactions to certain sounds, you may have spent years trying to manage symptoms on your own. You may have researched strategies online, experimented with different approaches, or wondered why the problem continues despite your best efforts.
My specialty groups are designed to provide a supportive, evidence-based environment where participants can develop practical skills, gain a deeper understanding of their experiences, and connect with others facing similar challenges.
Why Group Therapy?
Group therapy offers something unique: the opportunity to learn alongside others who truly understand.
Participants often discover that they’re not alone in their experiences. They hear others describe familiar struggles, exchange ideas, learn new skills, and realize that many of the thoughts and challenges they’ve carried privately are shared by others
Potential benefits of group therapy include:
Learning practical, evidence-based strategies
Better understanding personal patterns and triggers
Reducing shame and self-criticism
Connecting with others who share similar experiences
Practicing new skills in a supportive environment
Building confidence and flexibility in responding to challenges
My approach emphasizes curiosity rather than judgment. While symptom reduction is often an important goal, I believe it’s equally important to understand the person behind the symptom.
How the Groups Work
Groups are offered in a small, supportive setting and are led by psychologists with specialized training and experience in the treatment of BFRBs, misophonia, anxiety, OCD, and related conditions.
Each group combines psychoeducation, discussion, practical skill development, and experiential exercises. Participants may be encouraged to practice new skills between sessions and apply strategies in their daily lives.
Specific details—including age range, group size, session length, meeting frequency, format, and current availability—vary by group and are listed with each offering.
A brief consultation is completed before enrollment to determine whether a particular group is an appropriate fit.
Compassionate BFRB Skills Group:
A Different Approach to Hair Pulling and Skin Picking
Does any of this sound familiar?
Why can’t I just stop?
Why do I pull or pick when I’m stressed, anxious, tired, bored, or concentrating?
Why do I sometimes do it without even realizing it?
Why do I keep returning to the behavior after I’ve promised myself I’ll quit?
Why haven’t other strategies worked for me?
Am I the only person who does this?
If you’ve asked yourself these questions, you’re not alone.
Treatment approaches may include:
Habit Reversal Training (HRT)
The Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Model
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness-based strategies
Self-compassion practices
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), including hair pulling (trichotillomania) and skin picking (excoriation disorder), are often more complex than they first appear.
Many individuals have spent years criticizing themselves for behaviors they genuinely want to change.
Rather than asking, “Why can’t I stop?” this group encourages participants to ask a different question:
“What might this behavior be telling me?”
This skills-based group combines evidence-based treatment with a compassionate, individualized approach. Participants learn to better understand when, where, and why their behaviors occur and develop practical tools that can be tailored to their unique needs.
Participants may learn to:
Increase awareness of urges and behavioral patterns
Identify emotional, cognitive, sensory, and environmental triggers
Develop competing responses and alternative coping strategies
Experiment with practical interventions and environmental modifications
Reduce shame and self-criticism
Build a personalized toolkit for managing urges
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is to develop greater awareness, more flexibility, and more effective ways of responding to the challenges associated with BFRBs.
Misophonia
Skills and Support Group
You may be wondering:
Why does chewing bother me so much?
Why does my reaction feel so immediate and intense?
Why can’t I simply ignore these sounds?
Why do I become angry, anxious, or overwhelmed so quickly?
Why doesn’t anyone seem to understand what I’m experiencing?
Will I always have to avoid certain situations?
If these questions sound familiar, you’re not alone.
Treatment approaches may include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness practices
Emotion-regulation strategies
Psychoeducation
Individualized behavioral interventions
Misophonia involves intense emotional and physiological reactions to specific sounds and, in some cases, associated visual triggers. Common triggers may include chewing, breathing, sniffing, tapping, or repetitive movements.
These reactions can affect relationships, school, work, family life, and participation in everyday activities. Many individuals with misophonia report feeling isolated or misunderstood.
This group provides a supportive environment in which participants can learn from one another while developing practical strategies for reducing the impact of triggers on their daily lives.
Participants may learn to:
Better understand the brain and body’s response to triggers
Recognize patterns that increase or decrease trigger sensitivity
Develop strategies for responding to intense emotional reactions
Practice grounding and regulation skills
Increase flexibility in responding to triggers
Improve communication with family members, partners, and others
Reduce avoidance when it interferes with important areas of life