Lisa Perry

Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be in the mental health field. I felt like I was good at listening. Helping people has always been my goal. Initially I worked in mental health as a school counselor. After focusing on children for years, I wanted to be able to do even more. I established a private practice where I worked with a range of people and conditions. When I was young, I wasn't sure what my career would look like long-term, but I'm really glad to be here.

OCD is so poorly understood. Even highly trained general therapists don't have all the information necessary to treat it. As I transitioned from being a school counselor to private practice, specializing in OCD felt like a natural fit for me. Quite a few kids I worked with at school struggled with OCD. I saw the impact it can have. I continue to see it. My members are some of the kindest, sweetest, gentlest people around. Yet so many of them struggle with feeling like there’s something wrong with them.

I have quite a bit of experience with trauma. Earlier, I worked with a number of people affected by the Sandy Hook shooting. I made trauma my primary focus to make sure I had all the education I needed to treat people at that time. So many people who come in with mental health issues have some sort of trauma.

You may have a lot of fear about therapy. You're probably experiencing a lot of fear-based responses. You should know that therapy is not easy, but it is doable. This treatment can be uncomfortable, but so is what you're doing every day right now. In therapy, we experience discomfort while working toward a solution. We will start low and get some practice, so you feel what it's like to experience success. We're going to do this together. We're going to make decisions together, and we will get through the process together.

Take your time. At first, we can try something that’s easier to share and see how you feel. Start by sharing something you feel comfortable with. Do what you can, and we'll meet you where you are.