Take Root Counseling & Consulting

04/24/2026

[ OCD 👇]
When those intrusive thoughts pop in and you wanna ruminate or do the other compulsion, and you try your absolute hardest to shut that sh*t down, and it doesn’t work, again… don’t just keep trying.

Don’t try harder to shut them out, push them away, neutralize them, ignore them, reassure them, appease them, whatever it is. Trying harder to shut down thoughts and compulsions is like throwing wood on a fire and hoping it will go out. Every response is reaffirming that it is a big deal, encouraging it to come back.

Maybe it’s time to try something different.

And listen, I know it’s not easy. I’m not saying the solution is to just stop. Here’s the thing- there’s a lot of bad or lacking information out there about OCD. Too often I find myself talking with someone who thought they were doing the best thing for themselves by trying to throw a “bad thought” in the trash, and had no idea just trying harder wasn’t going to work. And maybe even worse, had no idea it wasn’t their fault.

If this resonates with you, and you’ve been doing all you can to stop a behavior or rumination or certain thoughts from coming in and causing a big reaction… it might be time to try something different.

Because there are things that can help! And you deserve to understand them and be supported while you practice doing something difficult and scary. Really.

It might be time to do a little research on OCD (IOCDF.org is a good place) and/or reach out to a therapist well trained in working with OCD.

04/13/2026

More down here 👇
I’m not saying you won’t *feel* less anxious, I’m just saying we’d be going at it the wrong way if we were trying to get rid of a healthy, normal human emotion.

Fear keeps us from doing sketchy things, like walking down dark, creepy alleys at night. It helps us jump out of the way if a car is coming at us. It’s helpful. And honestly, we can’t just get rid of it.

Now, obviously, there’s a difference when your fear is saying, “you need to check that email you just sent to your boss for the 32nd time because what if you said something offensive?? You’re going to lose your job”. Or, “you need to ask them again if they’re mad at you because the last two times they could have just been saying that…”

That fear is a little unhinged.

Our goal is to facilitate learning so your brain can differentiate almost-getting-hit-by-a-car fear from if-I-think-about-jumping-off-this-building-my-body-will-just-do-it fear. So you’re not only willing, but able, to stop treating fear like the wisest voice in the room, and so you get to make your own decisions.

09/03/2025

Head to takerootpgh.com and scroll to the bottom to apply! 😊

08/04/2025

Getting excited to kick off the OCD group in the next couple of weeks! If you’re interested, reach out!

07/16/2025

Coming soon! 🥳

05/28/2024

If you feel like it, I could use some help with some market research questions related to confidence. I'd appreciate literally anything you take the time to answer 😊 You can comment or DM, whatever is more comfy.

1. What is the single biggest challenge you're having (or have had) in regards to self-confidence or limiting beliefs?

2. What the biggest improvement or change you'd like to see?

3. How much time, effort or money have you invested trying to improve it?

4. What have you tried that hasn't worked?

5. What has worked?

6. What makes you doubt you can make the changes or get the results you want, if anything?

7. What would be a dream come true in regards to self-confidence, limiting beliefs and the difficulties surrounding those?

05/11/2024

First blog post- check!

Marlana Wilson 5/11/24 Marlana Wilson 5/11/24 So, why now? What is this? Who even am I? I’m sick of living in idealism and waiting for this elusive “right time”. I think I just need this… It feels good to write, and it feels good to share. So even if no one ever reads this, it’s worth it. ...

04/12/2024

Now accepting Aetna!

Hey! I'm Marlana (she/her). I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the state of Pennsylvania, where I reside, as well as Ohio. I work with OCD, ADHD, Social Anxiety and Trauma.

03/19/2024

Unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about Obsessive-compulsive disorder floating around out there. OCD is not about cleaning, organizing and it is certainly not fun or funny. If you're looking for some quality information or resources about OCD, check out the International OCD Foundation's website.

The mission of the International OCD Foundation is to help those affected by obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders to live full and productive lives. Our aim is to increase access to effective treatment through research and training, foster a hopeful and supportive community for....

03/19/2024

If you'd like to chat, simply click "request appointment" on my website. From there you can self-schedule a free initial consultation at a time that works best for you. We can talk via phone or video, and I can answer questions you might have while we get a feel for one another.

03/19/2024

You’re motivated, emotionally intelligent, and highly self-aware, but OCD, ADHD, Social Anxiety, Trauma and big emotions stop you from thriving. And you’re sick of it. You want to have interactions without intrusive thoughts getting in the way. You want to break cycles and heal from you and your family’s pasts. You want to find connection, and grow, and flourish. Sometimes all we need to heal and/or optimize is a little guidance. Treating OCD, anxiety and trauma can be counter-intuitive, the difficulties of ADHD don't get enough respect, and rarely are we taught how to tolerate or regulate our emotions.

That’s where I come in. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy and how I can help, we'll identify your hopes for treatment and then we’ll get to it. Together. Maybe we figure out how to turn your intention into action. Maybe we target the fears that are holding you back, rational or not. Maybe we practice identifying and coping with feelings.

If you're here looking, you've already taken a big step, and that's worth validating. Whenever you're ready, reach out. I'll be happy to chat, answer questions or help connect you with the right person if I'm not it. Click request appointment on my site to self-schedule a free initial consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!

takerootpgh.com

03/19/2024