The Image of You Counseling, LLC.
OCD, Anxiety & Relationship Therapy in St. Petersburg, FL
The Image of You Counseling, LLC.
OCD, Anxiety & Relationship Therapy in St. Petersburg, FL
Welcome to The Image of You Counseling, LLC.
Embrace. Evolve. Thrive.
Do you find yourself overthinking everything, questioning your decisions, replaying conversations, or searching for reassurance that you're making the 'right' choice? Perhaps intrusive thoughts, OCD, anxiety, perfectionism, panic, or relationship worries are occupying more of your mind than you’d like.
I'm Katie Hummel, LCSW, an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, providing private-pay therapy for adults and couples, with telehealth options available throughout Florida. My specialties include OCD, intrusive thoughts, relationship OCD (ROCD), anxiety, perfectionism, panic, and couples counseling.
If you're tired of overthinking, second-guessing yourself, or feeling trapped in the same patterns, therapy can truly help.
A Straightforward, Compassionate Approach
As a therapist for intrusive thoughts in St. Petersburg, I take a straightforward approach, believing that empathy and honesty can—and should—coexist. Therapy isn’t just about telling you what you want to hear or offering temporary comfort; it's about understanding the barriers keeping you stuck and collaborating to create meaningful, lasting change.
I offer a warm, down-to-earth, practical, and collaborative approach. I’ll meet you with compassion while gently challenging the patterns, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and behaviors that may be hindering your progress. You deserve a therapist who truly listens yet remains honest with you when it matters.
Who I Work With
I provide individual and couples therapy for adults 18 and older in need of support for:
- OCD and intrusive thoughts
- Relationship OCD (ROCD)
- Anxiety and excessive worry
- Panic and panic attacks
- Perfectionism
- Relationship anxiety
- Reassurance-seeking and rumination
- Relationship and communication issues
- Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to move forward
My practice is a safe, inclusive, and affirming space for LGBTQ+ clients and individuals from all cultural and religious backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identities. I am grounded in respect, compassion, and treating each person as an individual.
You Don't Have to Figure It All Out Alone
You may have spent a lot of time trying to understand your thoughts, feelings, or relationships independently. Perhaps you've researched your symptoms, sought reassurance from trusted individuals, or attempted to reason your way to clarity. If you're still feeling stuck, remember that you don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
Therapy can provide you with a space to slow down, understand what's happening, and work towards meaningful change. Let's work together to overcome the challenges you face.
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Understanding Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive and persistent worry about everyday aspects of life, including relationships, work, finances, health, and family, as well as anxiety about what the future may hold. If you're feeling overwhelmed by worry, you might realize that you're anxious more than necessary, yet find it challenging to turn your mind off. This excessive worry can impact your sleep, concentration, relationships, and overall enjoyment of daily life.
Symptoms of GAD may include:
- Persistent or excessive worry
- Difficulty controlling your anxiety
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Irritability
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue or mental exhaustion
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Muscle tension, particularly in areas like the neck or shoulders
- Physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach issues
GAD can be triggered by a variety of factors, including genetics, temperament, life experiences, stress, and environmental influences, with no single definitive cause.
Fortunately, GAD is treatable. An experienced Anxiety Therapist in St. Petersburg, FL can help you identify the patterns that fuel your worry, challenge unproductive thinking processes, and develop healthier coping strategies to manage your anxiety.
Therapy doesn't mean you have to resolve every potential problem to feel okay; rather, it can guide you in learning to tolerate uncertainty, allowing you to spend less time consumed by worry. If you're also facing challenges like self-doubt or intrusive thoughts, seeking a Therapist for Intrusive Thoughts in St. Petersburg or exploring Therapy for Self-Doubt in St. Petersburg FL can be beneficial. Additionally, couples counseling in St. Petersburg FL may support you in navigating relationship dynamics affected by anxiety.
Remember, you're not alone, and support from an experienced OCD Therapist in St. Petersburg, FL can also play a crucial role in your journey toward managing these feelings.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that you feel driven to perform to reduce anxiety or prevent something from going wrong. If you're struggling with these symptoms, seeking an OCD therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can be beneficial.
OCD doesn't always manifest as excessive cleaning or checking; compulsions can also occur solely in your mind. You may find yourself:
- Repeatedly checking locks, appliances, messages, or other things
- Washing or cleaning excessively due to fears about contamination
- Replaying conversations or memories to ensure you didn’t do something wrong
- Seeking reassurance from loved ones
- Researching or comparing to find an answer
- Mentally reviewing or analyzing your thoughts and feelings
- Needing things to feel 'just right'
- Avoiding situations that trigger intrusive thoughts or anxiety
- Worrying that an unwanted thought means something about who you are
- Repeatedly questioning whether you’ve made the right decision
These cycles can provide temporary relief, yet they often perpetuate the OCD by teaching your brain that thoughts, feelings, or uncertainties must be resolved. If you’re dealing with anxiety as a result of these cycles, consider talking to an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, who understands your struggles.
The exact causes of OCD aren't fully understood, but genetics, brain biology, temperament, and life experiences may all play a role.
OCD Treatment
OCD is treatable. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an evidence-based treatment for OCD that helps you gradually confront triggers and learn to resist compulsions and reassurance-seeking. Couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, could also support you and your partner in dealing with the strain OCD may cause in your relationship.
The goal isn't to eliminate every intrusive thought or provide complete certainty; rather, it’s about helping you respond differently to uncertainty and intrusive thoughts so they exert less control over your life. You don’t have to keep analyzing, checking, or seeking reassurance just to feel okay. If self-doubt is an issue for you, finding specialized therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, can also be a valuable step towards recovery.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder involves recurring, unexpected panic attacks and an ongoing fear of experiencing another one. These panic attacks can strike suddenly, often without an obvious trigger, and can feel both overwhelming and frightfully physical.
During a panic attack, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Difficulty breathing or feeling like you can't catch your breath
- Racing or pounding heart
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating or chills
- Feeling weak or unsteady
- Nausea or an upset stomach
- A sense of losing control or fearing something terrible might happen.
Following a panic attack, you might find yourself worrying about when the next one will hit. This anxiety may lead you to avoid certain places, activities, or situations for fear of having another attack or not being able to escape.
The exact causes of panic disorder aren't always clear, but factors such as genetics, stress, life experiences, and more can contribute to its development. If you're seeking support, an Anxiety Therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can help you navigate these challenges.
Fortunately, panic disorder is treatable. Engaging in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with an OCD Therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can be effective. This therapy approach helps you understand and respond differently to physical sensations and fearful thoughts, ultimately reducing panic and the fear of future attacks.
You should not have to structure your life around avoiding panic. With the right support, including therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, you can build the confidence needed to experience anxiety without allowing it to dictate your actions. If you are struggling with intrusive thoughts, consider consulting a Therapist for Intrusive Thoughts in St. Petersburg for additional guidance.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder involves intense fear or anxiety in social situations or contexts where you may feel watched, judged, embarrassed, or rejected. This condition can make everyday interactions feel significantly more stressful than they might appear to others.
As someone experiencing social anxiety, you may find yourself:
- Avoiding social situations or interactions
- Feeling extremely nervous about meeting new people
- Worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing
- Feeling afraid of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected
- Overthinking conversations before or after they happen
- Replaying interactions and wondering how you came across
- Avoiding speaking in front of others or being the center of attention
- Experiencing physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, a racing heart, or nausea.
Social anxiety can develop for various reasons, including genetics, temperament, past experiences, and environmental factors. As an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, I can help address these underlying causes.
The good news is that social anxiety is treatable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can assist you in gradually facing feared situations, challenging unhelpful patterns, and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and discomfort in social environments. If you also experience intrusive thoughts, seeking a therapist for intrusive thoughts in St. Petersburg can provide additional support.
You don't need to wait until you feel completely confident to start living the life you desire. Whether it’s through couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, or therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, there are options available to help you rediscover ease in social interactions.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation anxiety disorder involves intense fear or anxiety about being away from someone you feel closely attached to. While some separation anxiety is a normal part of early childhood, it can become a concern when the fear is excessive, persistent, or begins interfering with everyday life. An experienced anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can help you understand and manage these feelings.
Separation anxiety can affect children, teens, and adults. You may worry excessively about something happening to a loved one, feel distressed when apart from them, or avoid situations that require separation, impacting your relationships. Couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, can also be beneficial for partners dealing with separation anxiety together.
Symptoms may include:
- Intense distress when separated from a loved one
- Excessive worry about something happening to someone you care about
- Fear of being alone
- Difficulty sleeping without a loved one nearby
- Avoiding school, work, travel, or other activities because of separation
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, or stomachaches
When separation anxiety starts interfering with relationships, work, school, or daily life, seeking therapy—such as with an OCD therapist in St. Petersburg, FL—can help you understand the anxiety and develop healthier coping strategies. Additionally, if you experience intrusive thoughts around separation, a therapist for intrusive thoughts in St. Petersburg could provide the support you need. Therapy for self-doubt related to such fears is also available in the area and can greatly improve your quality of life.
Specific Phobias
A specific phobia is an intense fear of a particular object or situation that is disproportionate to the actual level of danger. Common examples include fears of spiders, heights, needles, flying, dogs, or other animals. If you are struggling with a specific phobia, an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL can provide effective support.
You may experience:
- Intense fear or anxiety when faced with the feared object or situation
- Avoiding situations due to this fear
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or an upset stomach
- A strong urge to escape
Phobias can develop for various reasons. Sometimes they follow a frightening or stressful experience, while other times they arise from learned fears or without an obvious cause. If phobias are interfering with your daily life, relationships, or work, therapy can help. For those in need of couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, or specialized treatments like therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, options are available.
Treatment for phobias may involve gradually facing the feared situation in a safe, structured way while learning new strategies to respond to anxiety, which is something an OCD therapist in St. Petersburg, FL can assist with. Additionally, if you struggle with intrusive thoughts related to your phobia, reaching out to a therapist for intrusive thoughts in St. Petersburg could be beneficial.
Relationship OCD (ROCD)
Relationship OCD (ROCD) is a specific form of OCD characterized by persistent doubts and fears regarding a romantic relationship. Individuals often find themselves questioning whether they love their partner enough, whether their partner is the right fit, or if they are making the 'right' decision. If you are struggling with these issues, seeking help from an OCD therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can be beneficial.
ROCD may involve compulsive behaviors such as checking your feelings, comparing your relationship to others, analyzing your partner's qualities, researching relationships, replaying past interactions, or frequently seeking reassurance. While these actions might provide temporary relief, they often perpetuate the cycle of doubt and anxiety. Working with an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can provide strategies to break this cycle.
Therapy can help you gain a deeper understanding of the OCD cycle and learn how to respond differently to intrusive thoughts and the constant uncertainty that often accompanies ROCD. Treatments may include Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and other evidence-based approaches, which can be explored in couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL.
The ultimate goal of therapy isn't to provide certainty about your relationship; rather, it's to empower you to stop allowing uncertainty to control your life. For those dealing with feelings of self-doubt, therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, can also be a helpful resource. Finding a therapist for intrusive thoughts in St. Petersburg can assist you on this journey to healing.
Relationship Therapy in St. Petersburg, FL
When Relationships Feel Harder Than They Should
Relationships can be complicated. Sometimes the problem lies in communication, recurring conflict, feeling disconnected, or struggling to understand each other's needs. Other times, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, uncertainty, and patterns of reassurance-seeking and overthinking can make it challenging to feel secure in your relationship.
Whether you're navigating difficulties as a couple or trying to grasp your own relationship patterns, couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL can offer a safe space to slow things down, engage in honest conversations, and uncover what's truly keeping you stuck.
My approach is straightforward, compassionate, and practical. As your therapist I won’t dictate what you should do in your relationship or take sides. Instead, we'll collaborate to identify the patterns that hinder you and develop healthier ways to communicate, manage challenging emotions, tolerate uncertainty, and make progress.
Sometimes, moving forward means learning how to reconnect and cultivate a healthier relationship together. Other times, it may involve recognizing that the best path is to part ways. My role isn’t to make that decision for you; it’s to help you understand what’s happening, facilitate honest conversations, and assist you in making choices that align with your values.
Whether you're seeking therapy for self-doubt in St. Petersburg, FL, aiming to improve your relationship with your partner, or looking to better understand your own anxiety and relationship patterns, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
How Anxiety and Unresolved Trauma Affect Relationships
Anxiety and unresolved trauma can significantly impact your relationships. When your nervous system remains constantly alert, it can hinder your ability to feel safe, trust others, communicate openly, or stay present during conflict. You might find yourself on edge, watching for signs that something is wrong, expecting the worst, or feeling a need to guard against being hurt again. This heightened state can lead to feelings of suspicion, defensiveness, or difficulty trusting your partner—even in the absence of immediate threats. If you’re seeking support, working with an anxiety therapist in St. Petersburg, FL, can be helpful. Additionally, couples counseling in St. Petersburg, FL, offers strategies for navigating these challenges together. To explore further, check out this insightful article on the 10 Common Patterns Seen in Unresolved Relational Trauma from Psychology Today.
10 Common Patterns Seen in Unresolved Relational Trauma | Psychology Today
Contact Me
The Image of You Counseling, LLC.
3530 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33713, United States
Hours
Today | By Appointment |
