Gabrielle Salomone, LCSW

Having a younger sister with a chronic medical condition, I sometimes joke it was the perfect recipe for anxiety! Early on, I was convinced that if I could control everything around me, everything would be ok. With the help of a great therapist, I was able to break free from these mental rituals and anxiety. This inspired me to become a therapist. 

I specialize in working with clients with OCD, anxiety (especially health anxiety), and eating disorders (especially AFRID). I also specialize in treating body-focused repetitive behaviors (such as skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting), and phobias. I believe that therapy is not one size fits all. I practice from the theoretical orientation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focusing on how thoughts and feelings impact our behaviors and incorporate exposure therapy to change behaviors. I encourage my clients to slowly incorporate enjoyable activities, routines, and value-based goals back into their lives that have decreased or are being avoided due to their anxiety, OCD, depression, or an eating disorder.

OCD is often misdiagnosed or overlooked, and I love being part of the solution. The intrusive thoughts you are experiencing are not who you are and don’t dictate your values and beliefs. I practice using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which will allow you to challenge your intrusive thoughts and slowly use exposures to change your behaviors. ERP can sound scary, but we start where you are comfortable and move at your own pace.

I love practicing ERP because I have witnessed firsthand how dramatically it can change someone’s life. I love getting to the end of treatment and celebrating my clients’ success. OCD and anxiety shrink our world and make us feel small. Through therapy, you can push back on your fears, face them and reclaim your life.