Margaret Stevens

I specialize in helping people who have OCD, phobias and insomnia. It's very common for these problems to emerge in college, which can add immense pressure to an already intense time of life. Many people who struggle with these issues are very functional in other ways, and work hard to hide their pain. You may be used to solving problems on your own, and you might ask yourself "What's wrong with me? Why can't I fix this" when your usual strategies haven't helped. In our work together, I can help you understand why you keep getting stuck, and find a way to break free.

My clients with OCD are smart, conscientious people who want to do the right thing. The things that they fear feel like very real possibilities to them, and they feel like it would be irresponsible to just ignore them. They want someone to tell them that everything is going to be okay, but when someone says that, they have a hard time believing it. They might go back and forth between feeling like other people are in denial about the terrible things that can happen in life, and feeling angry with themselves for not being able to stop spiraling. My treatment approach to OCD is very sensitive to these aspects of OCD. We don’t put energy into determining probabilities or disputing whether or not something is possible. Instead, we help you learn to trust in your own ability to distinguish between real world problems that deserve your time and attention, and OCD created problems that don’t need to be (and can’t be) solved because they are based on a believable, but false story. Once you feel confident that you can tell the difference between these two kinds of problems, you won’t feel the need to seek reassurance or do compulsions.

People with specific phobias spend a lot of time and energy trying to avoid the thing that they fear. They are often very creative at finding work-arounds! At the same time, they might also feel limited by their phobias, and wish to seek help. Unfortunately, they might also have an impression that therapy will be like a sadistic game show, where they are forced to come into contact with something terribly frightening. This is not the case! Therapy for phobias is all about education and increasing your sense of self-efficacy and self-acceptance. We go at your pace, with the goal of helping you live your life freely.

When you have insomnia, most advice about sleep is not helpful. You probably feel like you know more about sleep than anyone, and yet you still find yourself awake all night and exhausted all day. In therapy, I will listen to you and help you understand why you have been unable to sleep well. Then we will create a plan that actually helps you sleep!