6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 16, 2026, 7:46:00 AM
There is a moment in complex OCD treatment that every ERP therapist eventually meets. The client understands the model. They can explain the OCD cycle beautifully. They know reassurance does not help long-term. They can name their compulsions, identify their triggers, and even agree that avoidance is shrinking their life.
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Mar 15, 2026, 5:05:41 PM
Trauma doesn't always look like hypervigilance, flashbacks, or a clear stress response — and in neurodivergent clients, it often doesn't. Masking, sensory overwhelm, shutdowns, rigid routines, or what reads as "just autism" or "just ADHD" can be the trauma response itself, hiding in plain sight. Missing this distinction doesn't just delay...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 26, 2025, 9:10:46 AM
My Relationship with AI: A Tool That Grows with Me Let me begin with a confession: I use AI every day. This is not a theoretical endorsement-I am the monkey with the stick, fishing ants from a log, using this tool not because it’s perfect, but because it works. It’s simple, effective, and-when wielded intentionally-it changes how I live, how I...
4 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 20, 2025, 10:41:31 AM
When Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) intersect, clinicians often find themselves navigating a clinical landscape that demands both precision and compassion. Both disorders are fear-based, yet they express themselves through different mechanisms: OCD through obsessional doubt and compulsive rituals,...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 19, 2025, 4:28:38 PM
OCD is rarely straightforward. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and in many cases, it shows up tangled in a web of other diagnoses-each influencing, masking, or amplifying the core symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you've ever worked with clients who seem resistant to ERP treatment, who present with emotional dysregulation , cognitive...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: May 30, 2025, 9:01:05 AM
There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over the room when a client understands Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy and agrees to an exposure for the first time. It’s not the kind of quiet that soothes-it’s the kind that signals emotional risk. And in ERP, this kind of tension marks the start of change. Change, after all, is not...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 26, 2025, 2:37:06 PM
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) presents in nuanced, multifaceted ways. Understanding OCD subtypes for therapists allows clinicians to conceptualize cases based on the specific nature of a client’s obsessions and compulsions (repetitive behaviors). While each individual’s experience is shaped by personal context, emotions, values, and...
9 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 14, 2024, 3:24:27 PM
Exploring the complexities of mental health, the threads of neurodivergence and dissociation weave together in intricate patterns. For therapists, differentiating symptoms-especially in discussions of PTSD vs autism-is complex and requires careful clinical observation over time. We train our minds to recognize symptom clusters rather than isolated...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 8, 2024, 9:47:16 AM
For therapists, understanding what is OCD for therapists-including the nuanced distinctions between OCD and other anxiety disorders-is essential for accurate diagnosis, effective treatment planning, and reducing the prolonged delays many clients experience before receiving proper care. Diagnostic precision can significantly shorten the years...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Sep 3, 2024, 9:17:12 PM
In the world of mental health care, Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) serve a central role in supporting individuals through complex emotional and psychological challenges. As frontline clinicians, we work with depression, anxiety disorders, relationship distress, trauma, and suicidal thoughts...
