Leap Counseling and Consultation

03/02/2026

Symptom Accommodation in OCD and Anxiety

It is normal to want to relieve the suffering of a loved one. But what happens when reliving suffering in the moment increases suffering in the long run?

This week's blog is on symptom accommodation, a term for when social supports accommodate for a client's OCD symptoms, making it easier for them to perform compulsions that feed OCD.

Learn more by clicking the link below.

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Want to learn how to support your loved one without accommodating their OCD symptoms? An online OCD therapist in Wauwatosa, WI explains the impact & what to do.

02/27/2026

Meme Friday!

I have always thought that Chidi from The Good Place is unintentionally an excellent example of someone with moral scrupulosity. This scene is such a prime example of how it can look!

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Below picture from buzzfeed: https://www.buzzfeed.com/evelinamedina/chidi-the-good-place

02/26/2026

Lesser known symptom themes of OCD

Which symptom themes have you heard of?

leap-counseling.com
📞 (414) 207-4648

02/23/2026

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) basics

This week's blog tells you all the basics you need to know about OCD symptoms and the cycle of OCD. OCD is a widely misunderstood and misdiagnosed disorder, even among mental health professionals.

It takes people an average of 12.78 years to receive an accurate diagnosis of OCD. Becoming more aware of this disorder and boosting OCD awareness can help folks finally get the treatment they need!

Click the link below to learn more.

Want to learn more about obsessions and compulsions? An online OCD therapist in Wauwatosa, WI, explores the OCD cycle and therapeutic methods for breaking it.

02/20/2026

Meme Friday!!

When we are fully in the ERP mindset, we'll take sacrifices in order to resist rituals and free ourselves from OCD!

www.leap-counseling.com
414-207-4648

02/18/2026

Values versus OCD

This is the question I ask to tell the difference between a valued behavior and an OCD-driven behavior. Sometimes the only difference is internal. Even if a behavior is not considered "excessive," it can still be a compulsion! So the only way of knowing is to examine what the FUNCTION of the behavior is.

When I do a value-driven behavior, I am moving towards my values. When folks go to church, or temple, or the mosque, ideally it is because they want to move closer to God. When people volunteer to pick up trash, they do so because they want to have a cleaner community and environment. These are examples of moving towards something that is valued.

When a behavior is driven by OCD, it is driven by fear. These behaviors are done to avoid anxiety, fear, or discomfort. They are done to prevent a feared outcome. They are done to escape something else.

One way to tell is to ask: Are you moving away from something or moving towards something?

leap-counseling.com
📞 (414) 207-4648

02/16/2026

OCD targets our values. In religious populations, the scrupulosity theme is a common presentation of OCD. When OCD targets religion and faith, it can be difficult for us to differentiate between what is OCD and what is typical religious practice.

This distinction matters because we don't want to do exposures that actually go against our religious beliefs. Check out Leap's blog for a few suggestions on how to gain insight into the difference between compulsions and religious practice!

Faith shouldn’t feel driven by fear. Learn how scrupulosity OCD shows up and how online OCD therapy in Wauwatosa, WI, can help your discover clarity and peace.

02/13/2026

It's meme Friday! (We're going to pretend that is a thing.) OCD memes are plentiful and can bring levity to the real pain and challenges of living with OCD.

Post your own favorite OCD/anxiety or therapy-related meme in the comments!

The below meme is from a reddit user at https://www.reddit.com/r/OCDmemes/comments/1qyw2ep/dont_feed_the_thing_ever/

02/11/2026

What is the OCD cycle?

02/09/2026

Check out Leap Counseling's latest blog:

Perfectionism in OCD Therapy: Why “Doing It Right” Can Hold You Back

It's not uncommon that our fear of not getting better starts to get in the way of ERP! Sometimes folks try to "perfect" treatment because they REALLY want to do it right. But that just becomes another thing that their OCD latches onto.

This can be a real problem. Attempts to perfect treatment really get in the way of exposure work because the focus is no longer on sitting with anxiety and uncertainty.

In this blog, Dr. Wood discusses how to identify when this is happening and how to address it so that you can get back on track.

Struggling with perfectionism in ERP for OCD? Learn how to embrace progress, encourage healing, & move forward through online therapy for OCD in Wauwatosa, WI.

02/06/2026

The first-line psychotherapy treatment for OCD continues to be exposure and response prevention (ERP). Effect sizes for the treatment are consistently strong in research.

ERP is simple in theory, but it's really challenging work! It involves facing your fears, on purpose, without any of your usual compulsions or safety behaviors. ERP is about changing your relationship to anxiety rather than trying to eliminate it.

Read Leap Counseling and Consultation's blog to find out more about how and why ERP works for OCD!

Are you struggling with OCD compulsions? Discover how ERP through online therapy for OCD in Wauwatosa reduces anxiety by helping you to face triggers safely.

02/04/2026

Meet Johanna Wood, PhD, LP!

Dr. Wood is a clinical psychologist and Owner of Leap Counseling and Consultation, LLC. She uses she/her pronouns. Dr. Wood is passionate about evidence-based practice, meaning she uses science to guide treatment so that her clients receive the best possible care. In other words, she's a huge nerd and harnesses her nerdiness to help others achieve their mental health goals.

Dr. Wood is an expert in OCD, anxiety disorders like panic disorder and social anxiety disorder, and exposure therapies like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Exposure therapy is all about taking a leap of faith. It's scary but incredibly empowering!

Her favorite part about working with folks with OCD and anxiety is seeing how incredibly courageous humans can be. She knows how dorky this sounds, but she truly feels inspired by her clients.

Finally, Dr. Wood is committed to continuing to work on her own cultural competence and to honoring and supporting individuals of all identities and backgrounds, especially in this turbulent time.

If it sounds like she would be a good fit for you, Dr. Wood is currently accepting clients for evening and weekend appointments!