Anxiety & OCD Treatment: Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC

Anxiety & OCD Treatment: Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC Welcome to Amanda Petrik-Gardner, LCPC, specializing in anxiety, OCD and BFRBs.

My name is Amanda Petrik-Gardner, I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (Kansas, Maine), a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (NE), a Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado, Michigan, Missouri), and approved out-of-state Telehealth provider for Florida. I specialize in the treatment of OCD, Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors and anxiety disorders.

šŸ§  Detached mindfulness: doing nothing with your thoughts.Detached mindfulness is a core skill in Metacognitive Therapy, ...
12/11/2025

šŸ§  Detached mindfulness: doing nothing with your thoughts.

Detached mindfulness is a core skill in Metacognitive Therapy, and it is all about changing our relationship with our thoughts. Not changing the thoughts themselves. Instead of analyzing, arguing with, or neutralizing them, we practice doing absolutely nothing with them. ļæ¼

In MCT, we learn that itā€™s not the presence of a thought that creates distress, but what we do with the thought. For example, worrying about it, ruminating on it, avoiding or suppressing it.

I find MCT especially helpful for anxiety and depression however it can be beneficial for many diagnoses.

What questions do you have about detached mindfulness or MCT?! If you are a clinician wanting to learn more, message me for some resources!

The next I-CBT consultation group filled up so fast that we have opened another time!!Tuesdays, same time (1:00pm EST/12...
12/11/2025

The next I-CBT consultation group filled up so fast that we have opened another time!!
Tuesdays, same time (1:00pm EST/12:00pm CST/10:00am PST)
If interested, email me (info@amandalcpc.com)

Anxiety sensitivity creates a sneaky cycle. You experience a normal sensation, like a heartbeat, ļæ¼interpret it as danger...
11/20/2025

Anxiety sensitivity creates a sneaky cycle. You experience a normal sensation, like a heartbeat, ļæ¼interpret it as dangerous/harmful, heightened anxiety can then increase the sensation and we may respond with avoidance and safety behaviors.

Anxiety sensitivity is not a diagnosis, rather an underlying factor in many common diagnoses, like panic disorder, trauma, health anxiety, social anxiety, and more.

It must be identified in order to be properly treated, as anxiety sensitivity can sustain these diagnoses.ļæ¼

Check out my profile for my upcoming webinar on Anxiety Sensitivity!

My next I-CBT consultation/training group is scheduled! I have been thoroughly enjoying my first group this fall and loo...
11/19/2025

My next I-CBT consultation/training group is scheduled! I have been thoroughly enjoying my first group this fall and look forward to doing it again.
If you are a therapist, interested, and the dates/times work for you, email me at info@amandalcpc.com

šŸŽˆ I am super excited that I will be sharing more knowledge about Inference-Based CBT (an evidence based treatment for OC...
11/19/2025

šŸŽˆ I am super excited that I will be sharing more knowledge about Inference-Based CBT (an evidence based treatment for OCD) at the annual Anxiety and Depression conference this year! Not 1, but 2 presentations to continue disseminating education about this treatment šŸŽˆ

šŸ§  With that said, take a glimpse inside my OCD brain and what has helped me from an I-CBT perspective.

šŸ§  What is OCD like for you? What has helped you?! Good news is that there are several treatment options; no treatment works for everyone and that is why we are thankful there are more approaches that are effective. Check out ADAA and IOCDF for more information on OCD and treatment guidelines.

I have been selected to present at the Anxiety and Depression Annual Conference for the second year, in Chicago with som...
11/19/2025

I have been selected to present at the Anxiety and Depression Annual Conference for the second year, in Chicago with some amazing colleagues!

ā€˜A Comprehensive Demonstration of Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) for OCD: A Step-By-Step Walkthrough of the 12-Module Protocolā€™ with Angela Jones Henry and Stephanie Woodrow.

And ā€˜The One about I-CBTā€™ with Mike Heady and Angela Jones Henry!

Skin picking disorder is so much more than a ā€œbad habitā€ ā€” itā€™s a real mental health condition that affects many people....
11/17/2025

Skin picking disorder is so much more than a ā€œbad habitā€ ā€” itā€™s a real mental health condition that affects many people. Resulting in bleeding, scarring or infections.

Many who struggle feel shame, hide their skin, and avoid life. Picking can be automatic or focused or both. It can feel soothing and a way to manage overwhelming tension, which makes it incredibly hard to stop without support. It can also occur when relaxed or bored!

The good news is that effective treatments exist. If you or someone you love deals with this, you are absolutely not alone.

Join us at this presentation, welcome to all (clients, family and providers), to learn about anxiety sensitivity! What i...
11/17/2025

Join us at this presentation, welcome to all (clients, family and providers), to learn about anxiety sensitivity! What is anxiety sensitivity? Well it is anxiety about anxiety. Or more specifically, when we fear the physical and psychological responses of anxiety. (Think of when someone fears a racing heart from anxiety because they believe it will cause a heart attack). Anxiety sensitivity is an underlying factor often seen in panic, health anxiety, trauma, and other diagnoses which must be assessed for in order to be properly treated. If missed, the disorder will be maintained.
Register here! This is not a CE event.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anxiety-sensitivity-tickets-1693583266139?aff=oddtdtcreatorrot

šŸ§  I recently provided a presentation on Metacognitive Therapy for anxiety/depression to our local hospital/agencies to 1...
11/13/2025

šŸ§  I recently provided a presentation on Metacognitive Therapy for anxiety/depression to our local hospital/agencies to 100+ therapists. MCT emphasizes HOW we think over WHAT we think. The thought itself isnā€™t the problemā€¦itā€™s our beliefs about what we need to do with the thoughts.

šŸ§  Here I am providing some examples about ā€˜worryā€™ but these same metacognitive beliefs can be applied to rumination or thought suppression or avoidance or threat monitoring. Do you find worry helpful? Do you think it keeps you safe? Does it help you plan? Or do you find it uncontrollable? Do you think itā€™s harmful? Or a combo of both?

šŸ§  MCT addresses these beliefs which drive how we think (worry, rumination, thought suppression, etc) instead of targeting the surface level thoughts themselves.

šŸ§  What questions do you have about MCT and Iā€™ll discuss it more in the future!

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Topeka, KS
66614

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Tuesday 9am - 4pm
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Friday 9am - 4pm

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