It’s time to live bigger.
Anxiety convinces you that you can’t.
Let’s show you that you can.
Specialized exposure therapy for anxiety, OCD, and phobias using Exposure & Response Prevention.
Do a lot of your thoughts start with “what if ” ?
What if they don’t like me? What if I’m a bad person? What if it’s dirty? What if I hit someone with my car and don’t remember it? What if I don’t do well? What if I left the stove on and then the house burns down? What if my friends actually hate me?
“What if” thoughts are one of the most common ways anxiety, OCD, and certain phobias show up, which makes sense when you look at what they’re rooted in:
Anxiety → concern about what might happen
OCD → uncertainty and doubt
Phobias → fear about a specific situation or object
With these disorders, it’s not just about having the thoughts — it’s about getting stuck on them. OCD, in particular, is often described as a “sticky mind,” where the mind attaches to each thought that shows up rather than letting it pass.
This might look like overanalyzing or dwelling on a thought or situation, replaying it, ruminating, getting caught in a loop, trying to solve the thought, figure out what it might mean, or make it feel resolved, thinking about it until it feels “right”, searching for answers within the thought itself, catastrophizing, or spiraling.
Click below to learn more about how each one is experienced.
It’s more than just the thoughts.
When a thought brings up anxiety, our response is often to seek relief through avoidance, reassurance, or compulsions. This creates a strong link between the thought and the response. While these behaviors may help in the moment, they often keep anxiety going by reinforcing the idea that the thought requires a response. Over time, thoughts can start to feel urgent and consume more of your attention, pulling you away from the moments in life you want to be a part of.
This is where Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) comes in. ERP focuses on changing what happens after a thought shows up by helping you respond differently.
Click below to learn more about how exposure therapy helps.
Riding the wave together.
Anxiety isn’t just something we talk about — it’s something we practice facing. At Lionheart, we offer a unique opportunity to meet in the community and work through real-life situations together, allowing you to face fears in the places where they actually show up. In-person exposure sessions are available in the St. Charles, Illinois area.
Riding the wave together means learning to tolerate anxiety in a supportive, co-regulated environment. As we move through it side by side, you begin to experience that anxiety isn’t something to fear or avoid — and that you’re able to handle it.
For those outside of the St. Charles area, virtual sessions are offered across Illinois, with guidance on how to practice exposures in your own day-to-day life.
Lionheart is a solo-run practice led by Alexa Reinecke, LCPC — you’ll work directly with me throughout your care, in a way that helps you approach situations with more confidence and less hesitation.
Live bigger, live boldly.
You don’t have to feel ready to start.
Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially when anxiety is already high. You don’t have to have everything figured out before reaching out.
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if this approach feels like the right fit for you.
Click below to get started.