Specialties & Treatment
Helping you move beyond the patterns keeping you stuck.
Sometimes, the very things we do to feel better in the moment end up keeping us stuck in the long run.
Whether you’re navigating intrusive thoughts, persistent anxiety, depression, or a difficult relationship with food and your body, therapy can help you understand what’s maintaining those struggles and begin making meaningful changes.
At Monica Johnson Counseling, I provide individualized, evidence-based therapy grounded in compassion, collaboration, and practical skill-building. My goal is to help you develop greater confidence, flexibility, and freedom in your everyday life.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
You are not your thoughts, and you don’t have to respond to every one of them.
OCD can leave you feeling trapped in an exhausting cycle of intrusive thoughts, doubt, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors. You might find yourself constantly seeking reassurance, mentally reviewing situations, checking, avoiding triggers, or trying to achieve a sense of certainty that never seems to last.
OCD isn’t always visible, and it doesn’t always look the way people expect.
How we approach treatment
I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), an evidence-based form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and a first-line psychological treatment for OCD.
ERP focuses on helping you gradually face feared thoughts, situations, and uncertainty while reducing the compulsions and avoidance that maintain the OCD cycle.
Together, we’ll work on:
- Recognizing intrusive thoughts, triggers, and compulsive patterns
- Reducing checking, reassurance seeking, mental rituals, and avoidance
- Building tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort
- Changing how you respond to obsessive thoughts
- Reconnecting with the things that matter to you outside of OCD
The goal isn’t to eliminate every intrusive thought. It’s to help you live a life where those thoughts no longer dictate your decisions.
Anxiety Disorders
You don’t have to feel completely in control to feel confident in yourself.
Anxiety can show up as constant overthinking, excessive worry, racing thoughts, physical tension, perfectionism, or the persistent feeling that something might go wrong.
Maybe you find yourself preparing for every possible outcome, replaying conversations, avoiding uncomfortable situations, or struggling to relax even when everything seems fine.
While these patterns may help you feel safer temporarily, they can also keep anxiety firmly in control.
How we approach treatment
I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), exposure-based strategies when appropriate, and skills informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help you understand and change patterns contributing to anxiety.
Together, we’ll focus on:
- Identifying unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns
- Reducing avoidance and excessive reassurance seeking
- Developing greater tolerance for uncertainty
- Building practical coping and emotion regulation skills
- Increasing confidence in your ability to navigate uncomfortable experiences
The goal isn’t to never feel anxious. It’s to develop the confidence to move forward even when anxiety is present.
Depression
When everything feels heavy, even small steps forward can matter.
Depression can affect far more than your mood. It may leave you feeling disconnected, unmotivated, overwhelmed, emotionally numb, or increasingly critical of yourself.
Activities that once felt enjoyable may seem exhausting, and it can become difficult to imagine things feeling different.
You might know what you want to change but struggle to find the energy or motivation to begin.
How we approach treatment
My approach to depression incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), behavioral activation, and practical skills to help you better understand the relationship between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Together, we’ll work toward:
- Identifying patterns of negative thinking and self-criticism
- Reducing withdrawal, avoidance, and unhelpful behavioral cycles
- Gradually reintroducing meaningful and rewarding activities
- Developing effective coping and emotion regulation strategies
- Rebuilding confidence, motivation, and connection to your values
We will work collaboratively to establish manageable goals while recognizing that meaningful progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line.
You don’t need to feel motivated before taking the first step. Sometimes, motivation begins to grow through the steps you take.
Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating
You deserve a relationship with food and your body that isn’t driven by fear, guilt, or rigid rules.
Struggling with food and body image can take up an enormous amount of mental and emotional energy.
You might experience anxiety around eating, guilt after meals, rigid food rules, binge eating, restrictive behaviors, or a persistent sense that your worth is tied to your body or appearance.
These struggles can become deeply ingrained, affecting your relationships, confidence, and ability to be present in everyday life.
How we approach treatment
My approach draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), with treatment tailored to your individual symptoms, needs, and goals.
For individuals with eating disorders, care may also involve collaboration with medical providers, registered dietitians, or other members of a specialized treatment team when appropriate.
Together, we’ll focus on:
- Recognizing the thoughts and behaviors maintaining disordered eating
- Challenging rigid food rules and beliefs about weight, shape, and self-worth
- Building skills to navigate distressing emotions and urges
- Reducing avoidance, guilt, and shame surrounding food
- Developing greater flexibility, self-compassion, and trust in yourself
Treatment is individualized, and we’ll consider the level of support most appropriate for your needs.
The goal is to help you build a more flexible, sustainable relationship with food and your body while creating space for the other things that matter in your life.
What Therapy With Me Looks Like
Regardless of what brings you to therapy, my approach is warm, collaborative, and centered around meaningful, lasting change.
I believe understanding why you’re struggling is important, but learning how to respond differently is where meaningful progress can begin.
Our work together may include developing insight into your patterns, identifying practical goals, learning new skills, and applying those skills to situations outside of our sessions.
Therapy isn’t about achieving perfection or eliminating every difficult emotion. It’s about developing the flexibility and confidence to navigate life’s challenges in ways that align with your values.
Convenient, Individualized Telehealth Therapy
I offer individual therapy through secure telehealth sessions for clients located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia.
Virtual therapy provides the opportunity to engage in meaningful, evidence-based treatment from a private, comfortable location without the additional stress of commuting to an office.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Finding the right therapist is an important decision, and you don’t have to have everything figured out before reaching out.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to learn more about what you’re experiencing, answer your questions, and explore whether working together might be a good fit.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
