Dr. Sarah Gaumer
Specialties at a glance: OCD Therapy, Anxiety Therapy (general anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia, panic disorder, phobias, health anxiety), Hoarding, and Depression Therapy
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As a clinical psychologist, I understand how important it is for you to feel self-assured, carefree, and secure in your life. However, there might be obstacles to your happiness that you’re unsure how to overcome, leaving you feeling stuck and trapped in a constant state of worry and turmoil. To be your best self, you must first get unstuck and break the vicious cycle of anxiety, depression, or other unpleasant emotions.
It may feel like you’ve been hijacked by your mind, which makes it really difficult to live the life you want to live, causing immense pain and distress. These unwanted thoughts, images, and urges can feel “sticky” and won’t go away no matter how hard you try to get rid of them. These thoughts may terrify you. You might feel dizzy, pain in your chest, and you may have the urge to tell someone about the thoughts. But, you know the thought sounds weird, and you don’t want others to think badly of you for the thoughts you are having. You may feel such guilt and shame that you do not ever disclose these thoughts to anyone.
You do everything in your power to make sure these thoughts don’t come true. You may try to control these thoughts and feelings by avoiding triggers, asking others for reassurance, repeating certain behaviors (e.g., counting, checking appliances or locks, repeating a word or phrase, touching objects a certain amount of times, etc.), isolating yourself, staying in your room or home, or saying no to social invites.
Sometimes your thoughts are so powerful and upsetting that you don’t want to move or you avoid doing things you love (cooking, spending time with family, going out to dinner, shopping, reading). You may not be able to attend school, go to work, drive, or maintain relationships because of how unsettling these thoughts are.
I understand you spend most of your time managing these thoughts and uncomfortable feelings rather than being present and attending to what matters most in your life. I understand how agonizing it is to feel like your life has been taken over by thoughts that don’t align with your values.
The strategies you use to manage these thoughts and feelings may give you relief in the short-term but they end up maintaining or worsening the problems in the long-term. You feel lost and hopeless, continuing to use the same coping mechanisms you have learned over time. This only continues the cycle of anxiety, depression, unwelcome thoughts, and ineffective behaviors that interfere with your daily life. Perhaps you have even tried therapy before or attempted to face these problems on your own with little or short-lived success.
For some, the experiences described above can be identified as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). My career has been dedicated to helping people who experience distressing thoughts and feelings that interfere with their lives using evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
In my training and experience, I guide those who want to break the cycle of anxiety and learn new behavior patterns that are more effective and improve their quality of life. I have helped many suffering from anxiety, OCD, depression, panic disorder, among other impairing conditions. My goal is to ultimately help you begin choosing life so that you can spend more time with family, going to school, maintaining a career, and doing the things that you love to do.
Here’s how we’ll do it:
- First, we will create a mutually supportive connection in which you can feel at ease.
- We will then determine your goals, values, and "why” for treatment in order to develop and sustain your motivation for therapy. Having a plan of action and clear direction can help you feel more hopeful.
- After determining your goals, we will work together to start an evidence-based treatment, which can include practicing mindfulness, behavioral activation, creating and building an anxiety or fear hierarchy, and engaging in exposures to build distress tolerance.
So, call or schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation today for a consultation so that you can take the first step in breaking free from painful inner experiences and instead living your life as the person you want to be.
Background
I specialize in treating anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and OCD-related disorders in adolescents, teens, and adults. I have received intensive training in exposure and response prevention (ERP), which is the "gold standard" evidence-based treatment for OCD and other types of anxiety. I also offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Habit Reversal Training (HRT).
Other areas of my clinical experience include social anxiety, health anxiety (e.g., hypochondriasis), panic disorder, agoraphobia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific phobias (e.g., emetophobia, situational phobias, etc.), hoarding, skin picking, hair pulling, PANS/PANDAS, tic disorders, Tourette's Syndrome, trauma, and more.
I earned a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Psychology from the APA accredited program at Nova Southeastern University. I completed a 2000-hour APA accredited doctoral internship in forensic, severe mental illness (SMI), and geriatric psychology at the Mental Health Center of Florida in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Additionally, I completed a 2000-hour Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internships Center (APPIC) accredited postdoctoral residency at the Neurobehavioral Institute (NBI) in behavioral and cognitive psychology specializing in the treatment of OCD, severe anxiety, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other related conditions.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Florida and work full-time at The Psychology Group. I have trained in different settings throughout South Florida over the past several years, including private practice, community health clinics, assisted living facilities, and residential treatment centers. Originally from Ohio, I received my undergraduate degree in psychology at The Kent State University.
Professional Affiliations
Dr. Sarah Gaumer is a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF).
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