Anxiety & OCD Treatment: Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC

Anxiety & OCD Treatment: Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC Welcome to Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC, specializing in anxiety, OCD and BFRBs.

My name is Amanda Petrik-Gardner, I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Kansas, Maine), a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (NE), a Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado, Michigan, Missouri), and approved out-of-state Telehealth provider for Florida. I specialize in the treatment of OCD, Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors and anxiety disorders.

I’m in my first public health class, so bear with me as I’m excited to share. 🤓One thing I’ve learned (which I know, wil...
06/10/2026

I’m in my first public health class, so bear with me as I’m excited to share. 🤓

One thing I’ve learned (which I know, will seem like common sense but isn’t talked about enough) is that mental health is shaped by so much more than what’s happening inside a person; factors like neighborhood conditions, transportation access, education, discrimination, income, and social support all influence well-being.

These are conversations we don’t always have enough in therapy, but they’re often essential to understanding the full picture. Focusing on only individual behavior (how YOU think and feel and act) can be only a small piece of the puzzle (and sometimes blaming the individual when there are many other factors to consider).

A sense gap occurs when there is a little or no direct sensory information available. Often with things that are invisib...
06/02/2026

A sense gap occurs when there is a little or no direct sensory information available. Often with things that are invisible or impossible to verify in the present moment. When this happens, OCD often fills the gap with imaginative possibilities that feel urgent or dangerous

Let’s look at the selectivity of the doubt… do you do this with all sense gaps or only the ones OCD has flagged as threatening?

I also encourage you to explore what sense data you can trust even if it seems like this situation is “invisible” because there is always information you can trust in the here-and-now.

Happy Pride Month. 🌈As mental health professionals, Pride is a time for celebration and also a time for reflection. Unde...
06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month. 🌈

As mental health professionals, Pride is a time for celebration and also a time for reflection.

Understanding history matters and the field of psychology/mental health has not always been a safe place. Homosexuality was once classified as a mental disorder. Mental health professionals participated in conversion therapies. Gender diversity was pathologized, and LGBTQ+ people were often viewed through a lens of illness rather than humanity. Just to name a few.

Part of our duty as mental health professionals is learning and acknowledging the ways our systems have contributed (and still do contribute) to harm our clients and create opportunities for accountability, growth, and more affirming care.

Recently, someone was asking about the difference between rumination and problem solving (not just in terms of OCD, but ...
05/30/2026

Recently, someone was asking about the difference between rumination and problem solving (not just in terms of OCD, but whether with depression, anxiety or non-pathological).

Both are mental processes and can look/feel similar BUT they are more different than similar.

Can you tell when it’s rumination vs problem solving? How do you know?

Skin picking treatment is about creating an environment and toolkit that support success. 💜 Here are some of my favorite...
05/29/2026

Skin picking treatment is about creating an environment and toolkit that support success. 💜 Here are some of my favorite strategies to use alongside evidence-based treatment for BFRBs.

Need more support? Message me if you’d like my 1-hour BFRB webinar ($10), a list of my favorite books, or my go-to fidgets and tools for skin picking and hair pulling.

Who will be joining at the annual International OCD Foundation conference this summer in Seattle?!If so, I hope to see y...
05/29/2026

Who will be joining at the annual International OCD Foundation conference this summer in Seattle?!

If so, I hope to see you there! I will be presenting on I-CBT along with the fabulous Angela Henry. I will also be leading the I-CBT SIG (special interest group) meeting; please stop by!

There are sooooo many factors and patterns that may worsen one’s OCD. These are some common ones (but doesn’t mean it ha...
05/28/2026

There are sooooo many factors and patterns that may worsen one’s OCD. These are some common ones (but doesn’t mean it happens to everyone).

Knowing your patterns can help with treatment maintenance. I will share a video about this soon!!

If you are in Western Kansas (or anywhere and want to travel!), we are bringing an OCD Walk to YOU!!OCD Kansas, a state ...
05/28/2026

If you are in Western Kansas (or anywhere and want to travel!), we are bringing an OCD Walk to YOU!!

OCD Kansas, a state affiliate of IOCDF, is hosting an OCD Walk in Hays, Kansas to reach more of our community. Because Kansas is more than just the northeast corner ;)

But it’s our first one here and we hope you’ll make it and hope you’ll spread the word!! Register, build a team, make a donation if you’re able, but most of all, have fun and get ready to walk 🦶

In I-CBT, we’re not untangling every compulsion or consequence. We’re going straight to the source. Where the client is ...
05/28/2026

In I-CBT, we’re not untangling every compulsion or consequence. We’re going straight to the source. Where the client is becoming tricked (or inferentially confused) in the first place. How OCD built the doubt from the trigger.

Resolve the doubt at its origin, and the distress, urgency, and compulsions don’t need to be “managed”… they fall away because they were never the problem.

Learn more about I-CBT through ADAA, IOCDF, icbt.online, or contact me for resources!

05/22/2026

Harm obsessions about the possibility of hurting your kids are some of the scariest for parents to experience. They completely contradict who you are, your values, your intentions, your desires…yet they’re so scary it can be difficulty sharing with others to receive help.
As cliche as it sounds, you’re not alone. This is such a common theme. And treatment to help 💜

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Topeka, KS
66614

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