My Specialties
Dr. Jessica Rossi, PsyD, licensed psychologist
Most of my clients don’t fit neatly into a single category. OCD often shows up alongside ADHD, and anxiety alongside autism. The sections below cover each area on its own, but my treatment plan always looks at the whole person.
OCD treatment with exposure and response prevention (ERP)
OCD is one of my core specialties.
Some OCD thoughts feel too strange or upsetting to say out loud. Many of my clients have carried them for years before telling anyone. I’ve heard just about everything, and nothing you tell me will surprise me.
The first-line treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP). You gradually face the thoughts and situations that trigger your OCD while practicing not doing the compulsions that follow. It’s hard work, and we set the pace together. Compulsions aren’t always visible. They can also include reassurance seeking, reviewing things mentally, trying to figure out what a thought means, or trying to feel certain.
Most people with OCD experience at least one additional mental health condition during their lifetime. When OCD shows up alongside autism or ADHD, I adapt treatment to fit how your brain works.
Therapy for autistic children, teens, and adults
I work with many autistic clients, especially when anxiety or OCD is part of the picture. My approach is neurodiversity-affirming, meaning I focus on understanding how your brain works rather than trying to change who you are.
Most therapy techniques were developed with neurotypical brains in mind. For autistic clients, the standard approach doesn't always fit, so I adapt treatment to your individual needs. That might mean adjusting the pace, how we communicate, or how we practice new skills. We still work toward your goals, just in a way that works for you.
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA)
I have particular expertise in PDA, and I work with children, teens, and adults with PDA, and with their parents.
PDA (pathological demand avoidance, also described as a persistent drive for autonomy) is a profile often discussed in relation to autism, in which everyday demands can trigger an intense need to avoid or regain control. Even simple requests, including things the person wants to do, can lead to refusal, shutdown, or meltdown.
Traditional approaches often rely on charts, rewards, and consequences, which can make things worse with PDA. It calls for a different approach. I use several, including Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS).
I work with children, teens, and adults with ADHD, often alongside anxiety or OCD.
Treatment focuses on practical skills: breaking tasks into manageable steps, building routines you can actually keep, and understanding how your brain handles focus and motivation. I use evidence-based treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for ADHD, to help clients understand how their brains work and develop practical strategies for managing time, getting started on tasks, staying organized, and following through. We also work on patterns like overwhelm, avoidance, perfectionism, and self-criticism that can make everyday demands feel even harder. With younger kids, much of the work happens with parents.
ADHD therapy for children, teens, and adults
-
Anxiety therapy for children, teens, and adults
Worry that won’t switch off, trouble sleeping, avoiding things because of how they make you feel. I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a well-researched treatment that teaches you to recognize anxious thinking, find more helpful thoughts, and face what you’ve been avoiding, one step at a time. With kids and teens, parents play an essential part in supporting that work at home.
-
Therapy for panic attacks and phobias
Panic attacks can hit out of nowhere, and phobias of things like flying, needles, or throwing up can get in the way of daily life. For panic and phobias, I use exposure therapy: gradually facing what you fear, starting small, at a pace we agree on. For panic, that can include safely practicing the physical feelings of panic, like a fast heartbeat, so your body learns those feelings are uncomfortable but not dangerous.
-
Therapy for tics and Tourette’s
Tics are sudden movements or sounds, like blinking, throat clearing, or shoulder shrugging. They aren’t a bad habit or a choice, and simply being told to stop doesn’t help. I use Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), an evidence-based approach that incorporates Habit Reversal Training (HRT), to help individuals with tics and Tourette syndrome better understand their tic patterns and urges, develop strategies for responding to them, and reduce the impact tics have on daily life. With kids, I also work with parents on how to support that practice at home.
-
Therapy for hair pulling and skin picking
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), such as hair pulling (trichotillomania) and skin picking, can feel difficult to control and often happen automatically or in response to urges, emotions, sensory experiences, boredom, or stress. I use evidence-based approaches, including Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB), to help clients better understand their individual patterns and triggers and develop practical strategies for responding to urges and reducing unwanted behaviors, without judgment or shame.
ARFID therapy for children, teens, and adults
ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) often looks like extreme picky eating, but it runs deeper. A very short list of safe foods, a fear of choking or throwing up, or strong reactions to certain textures and smells can turn every meal into a struggle. Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID isn’t driven by concern about weight or body image.
I use a gradual, exposure-based approach, often with parents involved, to slowly expand the foods that feel safe.
Parent training and support
When your child is struggling, you’re part of the treatment too.
Kids spend far more time at home than in session, so how you respond day to day matters. I work directly with parents so you understand what’s going on and know what to do. That might mean learning how to handle anxiety or OCD without accidentally feeding it, what to do during refusal or meltdowns, or how to support your child’s practice between sessions. Sometimes most of the work happens with parents.
Finding the right fit
So you can find the right care as quickly as possible, here’s what falls outside my practice:
Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia
Substance use as the main concern
A higher level of care than outpatient therapy, such as an intensive outpatient or day program
In those situations, another type of care may be a better fit.
Not sure where you fit?
That’s what the free consultation is for. We’ll talk through what’s going on and whether I’m the right person to help.
All sessions are online, for clients located in most US states. You’ll find fees, insurance details, and how the consultation works on my Contact page.