about me.
LAUREL MALLONEE, LCSW
THERAPIST FOR OCD, INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, AND PROFESSIONALS WHO FEEL STRETCHED TOO THIN
Hello! I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 15+ years of experience in the mental health field. I worked as a crisis worker in the emergency room for four years after I finished grad school. I opened my private practice in 2019, working primarily with adults with complex trauma.
Over time, I noticed that for some clients, even after trauma symptoms had eased, there were still lingering struggles with intrusive thoughts and building healthy relationships. Many of these clients had undiagnosed OCD that had been overlooked for years. Others weren’t sure what a healthy relationship actually looked like, or how to begin creating one. Often, it was both.
This curiosity led me to focus more deeply on working with OCD and boundaries. While I continue to value trauma and attachment work, my primary focus now is helping clients navigate intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and relationship patterns so they can move forward feeling more grounded and connected.
my approach.
Therapy with me is compassionate, practical, and focused. I believe you deserve a space where you do not have to perform, explain everything perfectly, or prove that your struggle is “bad enough” to deserve help.
At the same time, I do not believe therapy should keep you stuck in endless analysis. Many of my clients have already spent years trying to think their way out of anxiety. They have researched, replayed, reassured themselves, made lists, avoided triggers, or tried to get absolute certainty. Sometimes those strategies bring short-term relief, but they often keep the cycle going.
My goal is to help you understand what is happening, build skills that actually fit your life, and practice responding differently to the thoughts, fears, and patterns that have been running the show.
Depending on your needs, our work may include elements of Mindfulness, Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, values-based decision-making, nervous system regulation, self-compassion, and practical boundary-setting.
who I work best with.
I may be a good fit for you if you are:
- Struggling with OCD or intrusive thoughts
- Constantly overthinking or mentally reviewing
- Seeking reassurance but never feeling settled for long
- Afraid your thoughts mean something bad about you
- Exhausted from people-pleasing or over-functioning
- A professional who feels burned out or resentful
- Working on boundaries in your personal or professional life
- Looking for a therapist who is compassionate but active and direct
You do not need to know what “category” you fit into. You only need to be willing to begin noticing the patterns that are keeping you stuck.
specializing in ocd and intrusive thoughts.
OCD is often misunderstood. It is not just about being neat, organized, or afraid of germs. OCD can show up as unwanted thoughts, images, urges, doubts, or fears that feel disturbing, repetitive, and difficult to let go.
You may find yourself asking questions like:
- What if this thought means something about me?
- What if I am secretly a bad person?
- What if I lose control?
- What if I made the wrong choice?
- What if I hurt someone emotionally?
- What if I can never feel certain?
- What if I do not feel guilty enough?
- What if I am responsible for something terrible happening?
These thoughts can feel intense because they often target the things you care about most: your relationships, your faith, your values, your work, your integrity, or your identity.
In therapy, we work on changing your relationship with intrusive thoughts. The goal is not to prove every thought wrong or force your mind to be quiet. The goal is to help you stop organizing your life around OCD’s demands.
therapy for professionals and boundary work.
I also work with professionals who are burned out, overextended, and tired of carrying more than their share.
You may be the person everyone relies on. The one who says yes. The one who anticipates needs before they are spoken. The one who gets things done, keeps the peace, and holds everything together.
But over time, being dependable can start to feel like being trapped.
Boundary work is not about becoming cold, selfish, or unavailable. It is about learning how to live with more honesty, clarity, and respect for your own limits.
In therapy, we may work on:
- Saying no without overexplaining
- Reducing guilt after setting a boundary
- Navigating workplace stress and pressure
- Separating your responsibility from other people’s reactions
- Making decisions without endless second-guessing
- Recognizing people-pleasing and perfectionism
- Communicating more directly
- Rebuilding trust in yourself
For many professionals, boundary work is also connected to anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, or fear of disappointing others. We will work together to understand the pattern and build a different way forward.
Therapy in Murray, Salt Lake City, Millcreek, and online across Utah.
I provide therapy for clients in Murray, Millcreek, Salt Lake City, and surrounding areas, as well as virtual therapy throughout Utah.
Whether we meet in person or online, my goal is to create a therapy space that feels steady, collaborative, and useful. A place where you can be honest about what is happening internally and begin practicing new ways of responding externally.
A Different Relationship With Your Thoughts, Your Work, and Yourself
You do not have to keep living at the mercy of every intrusive thought, every wave of guilt, every impossible standard, or every fear of disappointing someone.
Therapy can help you build a different relationship with your mind. One that allows for uncertainty, imperfection, boundaries, and a life guided more by your values than by fear.
If you are looking for OCD therapy, intrusive thoughts treatment, or support with boundaries as a professional in Murray, Millcreek, Salt Lake City, or anywhere in Utah, I would be glad to help you take the next step.