Dr Alberto Collazzoni Ph.D., Registered Psychological Assistant

Parents! We are here to help you guys!

Evening musings of a behavioral therapist during the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Safer at Home" order is ending next days and the restrictions will be eased. How did people deal with anxiety during the "lockdown"? Has everybody been more anxious, as psychobabble could suggest? This is probably partially true. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rupture in people's lives and has requested an adjustment. New thoughts about death, health, finance, and the future came up and the anxi...ety increased. By opposite, I observed that some patients with social anxiety and contamination OCD have improved during the lockdown. They have been FORCED to avoid scary situations and, because of that, they felt better. Is that positive? NO! They will probably, at some point, experience a "rebound" effect and have difficulties in leaving their house. So, what to do if you are feeling like that? You face your fears, there is no other solution. No pain, no gain. Obviously, you always must respect the CDC (or WHO) rules for COVID-19 prevention. Facing fears does not mean risking your health or doing something stupid. P.S. The picture is from my neighborhood. Stay strong LA. #anxiety #socialanxiety #OCD #exposureandresponseprevention #COVID #saferathome #LosAngeles #WeHo #CDC #WHO See more

Please feel free to contact me for further information! We will start on Thursday, May 7th!

The Fear Club begins... Do you or your kids have nyctophobia? Watch this video and challenge it! P.S. the guy in the video is amazing. He is much better than Brad Pitt! ... #fearfighter #KOFears #ocd #anxiety #gotocd #gotanxiety #faceyourfears #exposure #ocdawareness #renewedfreedomcenter https://youtu.be/YuQQtEFLuUk

Evening musings of a behavioral therapist during COVID-19 infection I was thinking to write something about COVID and OCD in the past few days. Everybody says we will never be the same after this infection. That’s is actually true from many points of view. I was honestly thinking about how people are going to wash their hands in the future. In fact, the first suggestion that the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) gave to us to prevent COVID-19 infection is to ...wash our hands often from now on. However, how can people understand if their washing hands is related to a logical hygienic reason (prevent COVID-19 or also other viruses) or their behavior is excessive and may be related to OCD? First of all, you should ask yourself: are the thoughts related to the contamination and washing hands negatively limiting your life? Do they take too much time from the rest of your life? Secondly, the CDC suggested some rules for washing hands: 1) washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. 2) If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry. 3) Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Then, ask yourself: Do you have difficulties in following these rules? Do you think you are still contaminated even if you are following these rules? Do you feel the urge of washing your hands longer or more often than it is described in CDC rules? If so, probably, you have OCD. You can fight it and I can help you. Please, contact me! ttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html #FearofCOVID #OCD #Anxiety #IOCDF #CDC #renewedfreedomcenter