Heather Brasseur
If you’ve tried therapy and still feel stuck, the approach may be the problem, not you. Many of my clients have already done “the work,” and talking through their struggles wasn’t enough. They needed a more targeted treatment from the start. If you know your thoughts aren’t rational but can’t stop them, feel trapped by routines you can’t break, are avoiding more of your life to manage anxiety, or have withdrawn and lost motivation, that’s what I treat. I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of exposure therapy, along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), behavioral activation, and Habit Reversal Training. These are structured, evidence-based treatments, and every session is practical, so you leave with tools you can use right away.
Structured ERP and CBT for OCD, anxiety, and depression. Honest feedback, practical tools, and real change for adults ready to do the work.
I work with adults dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in all its forms, including intrusive thoughts, contamination fears, harm and relationship OCD, “Pure O,” and taboo themes that feel shameful or out of character. There’s no thought too disturbing to bring to me. I also treat panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, health anxiety, depression, including depression that hasn’t responded to earlier treatment, skin picking (dermatillomania), hair pulling (trichotillomania), and hoarding disorder. I’m warm and direct. I’ll be honest about what treatment involves, what progress realistically looks like, and whether I’m the right fit. If I’m not, I’ll point you to someone who is. ERP asks you to face things you’ve been avoiding, and I’ll guide you at a pace that works for you. The people who do best with me are done managing symptoms and ready to change them. If that’s where you are, reach out.
First session
The first session is structured. I’ll ask specific questions about your symptoms and how they’re affecting your daily life: intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, avoidance, compulsions, and rituals. Short, direct answers are what I need. If you tend to talk in circles, I’ll gently steer us back, and if you find it hard to open up, my questions give you something concrete to respond to, so you don’t have to know where to start. Because I work with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and body-focused repetitive behaviors, I recognize these patterns quickly. You won’t spend sessions educating a therapist who has never encountered them. By the end of the session, I’ll tell you what I think is happening, which approach we’ll use (usually Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP) and why, and what the process looks like. You’ll leave knowing what we’re treating, how we’ll treat it, and what’s expected of you. That last part matters. This is collaborative, but it isn’t passive. I bring the specialized expertise, and you bring the willingness to do uncomfortable work. If you’re ready for that, you’ll have a clear path forward before you leave.
Strengths
My specialty is treating conditions that need more than general talk therapy: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, health anxiety, depression, skin picking (excoriation or dermatillomania), hair pulling (trichotillomania), and hoarding disorder. Many of my clients come in feeling like they’ve tried everything. They’ve been in therapy before and made some progress, but they’re still stuck in the same cycles: checking, avoiding, ruminating, pulling, picking, withdrawing, or being unable to leave the house the way they used to. These aren’t willpower problems. They’re patterns that respond to specific, structured treatment. I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of exposure therapy, along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), behavioral activation, and Habit Reversal Training, because that’s what the research supports for these conditions. Because I focus on these patterns, I know what to look for and where to start, so you aren’t starting from scratch. You’ll always know what we’re targeting, why we’re using a specific approach, and what’s coming next. I’ll also be honest about what the process requires. I’ll push you when you need it and hold you accountable to the goals you set. The clients who get the most out of working with me come in ready to engage, not just hoping things will shift on their own. That combination is what actually moves the needle.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is an adult who is done managing symptoms and ready to address them. You may have struggled for years or be early in the process, but you already know that avoiding the problem is making it worse. You’ve probably done some research, you understand this won’t be easy, and you’re showing up because you want things to be different. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and the other methods I use only work when you’re willing to lean into discomfort rather than around it. I don’t need you to be fearless. I need you to be motivated, and willing to do the work between sessions, because that’s where most of the change happens. If you’re tired of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, or compulsive behaviors running your life and you’re ready to do something about it, we’re likely a good fit. If you’re looking for a place to talk through stress, vent, or explore your past, I’m probably not the right therapist, and I’m glad to point you toward someone who is.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I’ve used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for more than 20 years with adults dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, depression, and compulsive behaviors. It’s the foundation of how I work. CBT focuses on the relationship between your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, and gives us practical tools to interrupt the cycles keeping you stuck. Rather than rehashing the past, we identify what’s maintaining the problem right now and target that directly. For depression, that means behavioral activation and cognitive restructuring to break the cycle of withdrawal, low motivation, and negative thinking, including depression that hasn’t responded to earlier treatment. For anxiety, it means restructuring the thought patterns that fuel worry and avoidance. For hoarding, it means addressing the beliefs driving the behavior. It’s never one-size-fits-all, and it’s never just talking. Habit Reversal Training I use Habit Reversal Training (HRT) for body-focused repetitive behaviors like skin picking (excoriation disorder, or dermatillomania) and hair pulling (trichotillomania). HRT builds awareness of the urges and triggers behind the behavior and replaces the response with one that breaks the cycle. It’s structured and practical, and it gives most clients a level of control they haven’t had before.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold standard treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders, and it’s the approach I use most. I’ve been doing this long enough to know it works when other approaches don’t. I also know it takes a therapist who understands it deeply and a client willing to engage with discomfort rather than avoid it. The premise is straightforward. We gradually expose you to the thoughts, situations, or triggers driving your anxiety or compulsions while you resist the urge to avoid, neutralize, or ritualize. Over time, your nervous system learns that the threat isn’t real and the compulsion isn’t necessary. It isn’t comfortable, but it’s effective, and the results last in a way that coping strategies alone don’t. I use ERP, a form of exposure therapy, for OCD, panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, health anxiety, and phobias. I’ll be honest about what the process involves, move at a pace that is challenging but manageable, and help you build real confidence rather than temporary relief.
Location
Virtual sessions
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Licensed in
- ArizonaLicense LPC-19994
- FloridaLicense MH7457
- New JerseyLicense 37PC00931700