Rebecca H. Villa
Do you find yourself stuck in cycles of overthinking, intrusive thoughts, uncertainty, or anxiety that never seems fully resolved? Maybe anxiety is making your world smaller, or past experiences continue to affect how you feel, respond, or connect with others. I’m Rebecca Villa, LCSW, and I’ve worked in the mental health field for more than 20 years. Today, my work focuses on helping teens and adults navigate OCD, anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. I bring specialized training in these areas, while recognizing that no two people experience them in exactly the same way.
I am a National Certified Therapist in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP).
I believe effective therapy involves both understanding and movement. You deserve a space where you can feel heard and understood, but therapy can also be a place to become curious about patterns, practice doing something differently, and discover that difficult thoughts and feelings don't have to determine what comes next. My approach is warm, collaborative, and evidence-based, drawing primarily from ERP, ACT, CBT, and trauma-informed care. I adapt treatment to the person rather than expecting the person to fit a particular model. For those who desire it, I also offer Christian counseling that thoughtfully integrates a biblical framework with evidence-based therapy. Faith can be part of the therapeutic conversation without minimizing the complexity of emotional or psychological struggles. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.
First session
Starting therapy can come with a mix of emotions, especially if you’re not sure what to expect. Our first session is a chance for us to slow down and begin understanding what brings you to therapy, what you’ve been experiencing, and what you hope might be different. We’ll talk about your current concerns, relevant history, relationships, strengths, and the patterns you’ve noticed in your life. I may ask questions to better understand how thoughts, emotions, behaviors, past experiences, and your current circumstances fit together. If you’re coming to therapy for OCD or anxiety, we may also begin identifying patterns such as intrusive thoughts, avoidance, reassurance seeking, compulsions, or attempts to gain certainty. For trauma-related concerns, we’ll focus first on understanding what you’re experiencing and what you need from therapy—you won’t be expected to immediately share every detail of difficult experiences. We’ll also begin discussing your goals and what treatment might look like. I’ll explain my recommendations, answer questions, and help you understand why we may use particular approaches such as ERP, ACT, CBT, or trauma-informed therapy. Treatment should be collaborative, so there will be room for your questions, preferences, and feedback along the way. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what to say or having everything figured out. Part of our work is making sense of things together. By the end of the first few sessions, my goal is for us to have a clearer understanding of what is happening, what may be keeping you stuck, and where we want to begin.
Strengths
I have specialized training in anxiety, OCD, and trauma. I am a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and Nationally Certified TF-CBT Therapist, with advanced training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other evidence-based approaches. One of the most important things experience has taught me is that therapy cannot be one-size-fits-all. I believe every person has inherent dignity and worth and deserves to be understood as a whole person—not reduced to a diagnosis, symptom, or struggle. A diagnosis can help us understand part of what you are experiencing, but it does not define who you are. I want to understand your story, relationships, values, strengths, experiences, beliefs, and the context in which your struggles are occurring. From there, I draw from evidence-based approaches and adapt our work to your individual needs and goals. What is helpful for one person may not be helpful for another, and our work should reflect that. I bring curiosity, warmth, honesty, and a practical approach to therapy. There may be times when we slow down and make sense of what is happening, and other times when we practice responding differently. Depending on what brings you to therapy, our work might involve recognizing patterns, understanding how your mind and nervous system respond to stress, making room for difficult thoughts and emotions, approaching something you have been avoiding, or learning to live with greater flexibility when life does not offer certainty or control. I don't view successful therapy as creating a life without anxiety, discomfort, uncertainty, or hardship. Difficult experiences are part of being human, and meaningful living does not require their absence. Instead, therapy can create space to explore how you want to respond to what life brings and what you want your choices to reflect. Ultimately, I want our work to make room for a larger question: How do you want to live, even when life is difficult? Together, we can explore what matters to you and how you want to show up in your relationships, choices, faith, values, and daily life. To me, meaningful therapy is not simply about feeling better. It is about developing the awareness and flexibility to live with greater intention in the life you actually have.
Ideal clients
I work with teens and adults navigating OCD, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, panic, phobias, trauma, and life transitions. You may find yourself replaying conversations, questioning decisions, seeking reassurance, avoiding situations that feel uncomfortable, or trying to find certainty before you can move forward. Maybe your mind rarely seems to quiet down, anxiety has started making your world smaller, or experiences from the past continue to shape how you feel, respond, or connect with others. Sometimes the things we do to feel safer or more in control—overthinking, checking, avoiding, seeking reassurance, or trying to push uncomfortable thoughts and feelings away—can become part of the cycle that keeps us stuck. My work focuses on helping you understand what is happening and why, recognize patterns that may no longer be serving you, and develop greater flexibility in how you respond. Therapy isn't about eliminating every anxious thought, uncomfortable feeling, or moment of uncertainty. It's about developing greater flexibility in how you respond, so you can make intentional choices and keep moving toward what matters to you—even when discomfort comes along. For those who desire it, Christian faith can also be thoughtfully integrated into therapy through a biblical framework alongside evidence-based treatment.
Treatment methods
Trauma-Focused CBT
Structured treatment approach that offers a gradual exposure approach to trauma work; national certified TF-CBT therapist
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Treatment that helps “retrain your brain” to no longer see thoughts, images, objects, and situations as a threat; Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Holistic treatment approach focused on your value system; explore and identify strategies that move you toward a life full of meaning and purpose
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Utilize therapeutic exercises and offer homework application to examine thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
Christian Counseling
Spiritual modality that considers the whole person; client will be asked to review this provider’s biblical framework approach and consent to this treatment approach
Location
Virtual sessions