Abundant Life Counseling St. Louis, LLC

Abundant Life Counseling St. Louis, LLC Julie Williamson, LPC, NCC, RPT offers professional counseling for women in St. Louis, who are facing challenges related to anxiety and relationships.

This page is for support and is not therapy. Abundant Life Counseling St. Louis LLC is dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and families in the St. Louis area flourish in the midst of life’s perplexing struggles and challenges. Therapist Julie Williamson seeks to increase hope, embody empathy, and encourage authenticity by joining with you to collaboratively assist you in achieving your ther

apeutic goals. Louis LLC wants to help you gain clarity, understanding, and above all, flourishing in your relationships with God and others, despite life’s trials and tribulations.

I often have conversations with clients about reassurance seeking. We can look for reassurance both internally and exter...
08/11/2026

I often have conversations with clients about reassurance seeking. We can look for reassurance both internally and externally. We may reassure ourselves repeatedly that something is or will be okay, reviewing or replaying situations or information to reassure ourselves of our desired outcome. We can look for reassurance externally, such as asking others if they're mad at us, if they think we did the "right" thing or if we're a good person, etc. This can include revisiting previous conversations we've had to "make sure" we've heard the person correctly or that they meant what we think they meant.

But does it really help?

I'm exploring that on the blog today. Check it out: http://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1449

I’m often told by clients that they can recognize when they’re feeling anxious or fusing with some scary thought that is...
08/03/2026

I’m often told by clients that they can recognize when they’re feeling anxious or fusing with some scary thought that isn’t currently a reality. They have insight, but they ask, “Julie, what can I DO?” We can certainly use the tools presented above to bring us back to the present moment, but we must also pay attention to our intent in using them – are we using them in a compulsory, “fix it” way? What do I mean by this? If we practice these skills when we’re anxious with the intention and expectation that the anxiety WILL GO AWAY, then we’ll probably be disappointed. Coping skills are not elimination tools – if they eliminate our experience of anxiety, then wonderful! But coping skills are meant to help us THROUGH difficulty so that we can live in line with our values what is important to us.

Let’s say you’re really afraid of heights but you have friends coming into town who really want to go up in the Arch. You know you could very well sit at the bottom and wait for them while they travel to the top, but you’d really like to go with them and be present with them for the experience. You work on your fear of heights with your therapist, go up to the top and practice some grounding tools while you’re up there, focus on your time with your friends and pointing out your favorite STL spots to them, and come back down. Now when you come back down, I’d venture to guess you probably have not completely cured your fear of heights forever (though that would be sweet if you did!). Maybe you’ve just cured your fear of going up in the Arch, but most likely, you’ve showed your nervous system that you can cope when you’re in a fearful situation. However, when you travel to Chicago and have the opportunity to go up in the Willis Tower, which stands twice as tall as the Arch, it’s not surprising when you feel that same fear of heights. But you have tools you can use to go up to the top if you choose to do so. You know how to cope. Which one will you try? 🌱

My guess is if you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve most likely at some point in your faith journey wondered why ...
07/27/2026

My guess is if you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve most likely at some point in your faith journey wondered why God allowed sin and suffering to enter the world.
 
Why didn’t he stop Eve from eating that piece of fruit? Why did he make the rule that Adam and Eve couldn’t eat from that one tree? Why did he create the tree in the first place if it could potentially ruin his relationship with the first humans?
 
Those are all questions I’ve had.

On the blog today, I’m not attempting to answer those questions (I can’t), but I am sharing some thoughts on why I see evidenced-based therapy as something God has provided for us to help us move through difficult times.

Check it out at the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1447 🌱

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, especially to all the perfectionists out there! While these are all wonderful and he...
07/21/2026

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, especially to all the perfectionists out there! While these are all wonderful and helpful practices and goals, the truth is, we live in a fallen and broken world. Bad things do happen. We do not have control over our minds or what thoughts enter them. If we do all the “right” things and expect to never experience anxiety and/or OCD, we will be disappointed, and ultimately, set ourselves up for failure.

That’s what I love about ACT and ERP. It’s not about getting rid of anxious and intrusive thoughts – we recognize that is impossible. Instead, it’s about changing our relationship to distressing thoughts and feelings, so that when they arise, we can still live meaningful lives.

The goal is not to never feel anxious again. The goal is not to never have a compulsion again. The goal is to learn to respond to anxiety in a way that is in line with our values (which excludes compulsions) and helps us live the life we desire to live—even if anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and obsessions are present. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is possible, and it’s worth it! If you’d like to know more, check out the link in my profile or www.abundantlifecounselingstl.com. 🌱

Simple, non-clinical explanation.ERP is considered the “gold standard” or most recommended form of therapy for OCD. In a...
07/14/2026

Simple, non-clinical explanation.
ERP is considered the “gold standard” or most recommended form of therapy for OCD. In a nutshell, it involves confronting fears without avoidance or responding in a ritualistic, compulsive manner. It’s been shown to be extremely effective in treating OCD.

In ERP, you might be asked to confront fears or cues that trigger obsessive thoughts, including words, objects, images, or situations. You might also participate in imaginal exposure, or imagining in detail distressing thoughts or situations – this is primarily used for those fears that cannot ethically or possibly be practiced, and to confront feared outcomes of not performing rituals. In ERP, we also work on ritual prevention, or abstaining from the practices/rituals you believe will prevent the feared consequence or that reduce the distress of the obsessive and intrusive thoughts.

Several studies, including randomized controlled trials, have found that ERP is effective in significantly reducing OCD symptoms, and is superior to a variety of control treatments. Studies have also shown that those who’ve participated in ERP have maintained their gains over time.

Does that sound scary? If so, you’re not alone. It is kinda scary! But as someone with lived experience with OCD and who has participated in ERP, I can testify to its effectiveness. If you’d like to learn more, visit my website at abundantlifecounselingstl.com to set up a free consultation call to see if ERP might be helpful for you! 🌱

Does this feel like a gut punch to anyone else?  As I’ve thought about this quote from Dr. Grayson’s book, “Freedom from...
07/07/2026

Does this feel like a gut punch to anyone else?
 
As I’ve thought about this quote from Dr. Grayson’s book, “Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” more, I’m struck by the fact that the “loss” he refers to is in regards to something we’ve never had in the first place – whether that’s control, certainty, etc. As a human being, it is impossible to have 100% control over EVERYTHING and 100% certainty about anything.
 
Even with faith. I absolutely believe in Jesus, that he was the Son of God, lived a perfect, sinless life, died on a cross and then rose from the dead on the third day. And while I have evidence from eyewitness accounts in the Bible of his life, death, and resurrection, I was not physically there when these events occurred, I did not witness them with my own eyes. There is always an element of uncertainty, opportunity for doubt.
 
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith requires trusting and believing in something we cannot have 100% visual certainty of until we see Jesus face to face. For Christians who struggle with OCD, this can be very difficult. If you’d like more information on how I work with Christians who struggle with scrupulosity (OCD with religious themes), check out my website at the link in my profile. 🌱

Scroll through for some good news 😊🌱
06/29/2026

Scroll through for some good news 😊🌱

OCD isn’t just about being preoccupied with something, nor is it simply just a preference for things being clean or orde...
06/22/2026

OCD isn’t just about being preoccupied with something, nor is it simply just a preference for things being clean or ordered in a particular way. We are not all a “little OCD.” Those who meet criteria for an OCD diagnosis do so because their obsessions and compulsions take up a lot a of time, causes intense distress, and/or get in the way of functioning and living their lives in line with their values.

There are numerous subtypes of OCD, and each subtype is based on a specific theme of a person’s obsessions, as well as the rituals they use in attempt to feel better about the symptoms they’re experiencing. When we refer to obsessions, we are talking about intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images or urges that cause extremely distressing feelings. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or thoughts that a person engages in to make the distressing feelings brought on by the obsessions go away.
 
The great news is that there are effective, evidenced based treatments that can help those with OCD live meaningful and fulfilling lives! To hear more about how I treat OCD using Exposure and Response Prevention (or ERP, the gold standard of treatment for OCD), feel free to reach out to me to schedule a free, 15-minute phone consultation. 🌱

OCD is often thrown around as shorthand for someone who is particular about something. But OCD is much more than a quirk...
06/16/2026

OCD is often thrown around as shorthand for someone who is particular about something. But OCD is much more than a quirky personality trait. It can be extremely debilitating, even when the sufferer knows their compulsions are illogical. 🌱

Thoughts ≠ intent. These might seem like obvious statements, but for those of us who struggle with OCD, we can experienc...
06/09/2026

Thoughts ≠ intent. These might seem like obvious statements, but for those of us who struggle with OCD, we can experience guilt and fear when an unwanted thought pops into our head. Does this mean I’m going to act on this horrible thought? That I’ve already acted on this thought? Even if I haven’t acted on it, what does it mean about ME, who I am, and what the Lord thinks of me?

Unpleasant, unwanted thoughts are the result of living in a fallen, broken world. But the thought entering our brains does not mean that it is a reflection of our values, what we believe, or what we will actually act upon. To read more about intrusive thoughts, check out the link in my profile or here: https://abundantlifecounselingstl.com/?p=1416 🌱

Address

1034 S. Brentwood Boulevard
Richmond Heights, MO
63117

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Abundant Life Counseling St. Louis, LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category