Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services

Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services, Psychologist, 1454 30th Street, Suite 101, West Des Moines, IA.

Our group provides evidence-based treatment for anxiety- and OCD-related disorders.

🌎 Therapy in IA • AL • FL • WA • WI • MI
💬 Your go-to for evidence-based info + support

We're excited to share that our associate director's latest research has been published in the Journal of Psychopatholog...
07/30/2026

We're excited to share that our associate director's latest research has been published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment!

Congratulations to Dr. Bardeen on this important contribution to the understanding of anxiety and its underlying mechanisms.

Read the full text here: https://rdcu.be/fwBZW

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop starting...
07/27/2026

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop starting August 25!

If your child struggles with anxiety or OCD, you are not alone and there are evidence-based ways to help. This 6-week parent workshop is designed to help you support your child with confidence while reducing the accommodations that unintentionally keep anxiety stuck.

In this workshop, parents will learn how to:
✔️ Understand what’s driving anxiety and what keeps the cycle going
✔️ Increase supportive responses
✔️ Reduce accommodations step-by-step
✔️ Build confidence and independence in their child

📍 Virtual workshop
📅 Tuesdays, August 25-September 29
⏰ 11:00am–12:00pm CST
💻 Held via secure telehealth platform
🌎 Open to parents in all states

Limited spots available!

➡️ See flyer for full details
🔗 Link in bio to register

We’re so excited to welcome Ashley to our team! Ashley is a licensed social worker specializing in the treatment of anxi...
06/22/2026

We’re so excited to welcome Ashley to our team!

Ashley is a licensed social worker specializing in the treatment of anxiety & OCD spectrum disorders.

She will be starting at the beginning of July and is now scheduling new clients.

She will be seeing clients in person in the West Des Moines, Iowa area, as well as via telehealth across Iowa. She will be paneled with Wellmark BCBS.

If you or someone you know is looking for support in these areas, this is a great opportunity to get connected.

👉 Reach out or visit the link in our bio to schedule

"But what if the thought means something?"This is one of the most common fears people with OCD and anxiety experience.In...
06/18/2026

"But what if the thought means something?"

This is one of the most common fears people with OCD and anxiety experience.

Intrusive thoughts can feel shocking, disturbing, and convincing. Many people assume that having a thought means it reflects who they are or what they want. In reality, intrusive thoughts are often the exact opposite: unwanted thoughts that target what matters most to you.

The problem isn't the thought itself. The problem is getting pulled into analyzing, checking, reassuring, or trying to make the thought go away.

Recovery starts when we stop treating thoughts like facts and start recognizing them for what they are: mental events that come and go.

Which myth have you struggled with most?

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop!Our June...
06/16/2026

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop!

Our June SPACE group filled quickly, and we're excited to offer another opportunity for parents to join us this summer and prepare for back-to-school.

If your child struggles with anxiety or OCD, you are not alone and there are evidence-based ways to help. This 6-week parent workshop is designed to help you support your child with confidence while reducing the accommodations that unintentionally keep anxiety stuck.

In this workshop, parents will learn how to:
✔️ Understand what’s driving anxiety and what keeps the cycle going
✔️ Increase supportive responses
✔️ Reduce accommodations step-by-step
✔️ Build confidence and independence in their child

📍 Virtual workshop
📅 Mondays, July 13 – August 17
⏰ 11:00am–12:00pm CST
💻 Held via secure telehealth platform
🌎 Open to parents in all states

Limited spots available!

➡️ See flyer for full details
🔗 Link in bio to register

Happy Pride Month! 🌈At Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services, we are committed to providing a space where all individuals fee...
06/10/2026

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

At Anxiety & OCD Treatment Services, we are committed to providing a space where all individuals feel seen, respected, and supported.

We're proud to offer affirming, evidence-based treatment for anxiety and OCD to LGBTQIA+ individuals and families.

What if the goal isn't to feel less anxious?What if the goal is to spend more time doing what matters?Values-based expos...
06/08/2026

What if the goal isn't to feel less anxious?

What if the goal is to spend more time doing what matters?

Values-based exposures help us practice moving toward the life we want, even when anxiety comes along for the ride.

💛 Calling a friend because connection matters

💛 Going to class because education matters

💛 Attending church because faith matters

💛 Playing with your child because family matters

💛 Going on a date because relationships matter

Exposure therapy isn't about proving that nothing bad will happen.

It's about learning:

👉 "I can do what matters to me, even when anxiety is present."

When exposures are connected to your values, they stop being exercises and start becoming your life.

What is one thing anxiety has been pulling you away from lately?

We provide evidence-based treatment for anxiety and OCD via telehealth in Iowa, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Vermont, with in-person services in West Des Moines, IA.

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop! If your...
05/19/2026

Enrollment is officially OPEN for our next SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) workshop!

If your child struggles with anxiety or OCD, you are not alone and there are evidence-based ways to help. This 6-week parent workshop is designed to help you support your child with confidence while reducing the accommodations that unintentionally keep anxiety stuck.

In this workshop, parents will learn how to:
✔️ Understand what’s driving anxiety and what keeps the cycle going
✔️ Increase supportive responses
✔️ Reduce accommodations step-by-step
✔️ Build confidence and independence in their child

📍 Virtual workshop — open to parents in all states
📅 Tuesdays, June 23rd – August 4th (skipping the week of June 21)
⏰ 11:00am–12:00pm CST
💻 Held via secure telehealth platform

Limited spots available!

➡️ See flyer for full details
🔗 Link in bio to register

One of the most common traps parents fall into with OCD is trying to use logic to make the fear go away.And it makes sen...
05/09/2026

One of the most common traps parents fall into with OCD is trying to use logic to make the fear go away.

And it makes sense why.

When your child is distressed, your instinct is naturally to:
• explain
• reassure
• debate
• comfort
• “prove” the fear isn’t true

But OCD is rarely looking for logic.

It’s looking for certainty.

And unfortunately, reassurance usually only works temporarily before OCD comes back demanding more.

Parents often notice themselves getting pulled into endless conversations like:
“But you already checked.”
“You know that wouldn’t happen.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I promise you’re okay.”

The goal is not to stop supporting your child.

The goal is to support them in a way that does not strengthen the OCD cycle.

Instead of solving the obsession, try:
✔ validating the feeling
✔ allowing uncertainty
✔ supporting brave behavior
✔ resisting the urge to provide repeated reassurance

Examples:
• “I hate how OCD scares you.”
• “OCD really wants certainty right now.”
• “We don’t need to solve that question.”
• “I believe you can handle the uncertainty.”

This shift can feel hard at first, for both parents and kids, but it can be incredibly powerful in helping children learn that anxiety and uncertainty are tolerable.

ERP and SPACE-informed treatment can help families learn how to respond to OCD in a way that breaks the OCD cycle.

Virtual therapy:
Alabama, Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin & Vermont

In-person services:
West Des Moines, Iowa

Mental compulsions can be especially tricky because they often don’t *look* like compulsions.There may be no visible rit...
05/08/2026

Mental compulsions can be especially tricky because they often don’t *look* like compulsions.

There may be no visible ritual at all.

Instead, OCD pulls people into:
• mentally reviewing
• analyzing
• checking feelings
• rehearsing
• self-reassuring
• neutralizing thoughts
• testing reactions

And because these happen internally, many people mistake them for:
“problem solving”
“figuring things out”
or “being responsible.”

But compulsions don’t stop being compulsions just because they happen in your mind.

While intrusive thoughts are not chosen, the mental behaviors we engage in afterward can become part of the OCD cycle.

The good news?
These behaviors can be identified, understood, and changed.

ERP helps people learn how to notice intrusive thoughts without getting pulled into mental rituals in search of certainty.

Recovery is not about eliminating thoughts.
It’s about changing your response to them.


Address

1454 30th Street, Suite 101
West Des Moines, IA
50266

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