Online Therapy in Utah for OCD, Intrusive Thoughts, and Reclaiming Personal Boundaries
SPECIALIZED VIRTUAL THERAPY FOR PROFESSIONALS ALL ACROSS UTAH
You do not have to live near a therapy office to find support that fits what you are going through.
At Laurel M Therapy, I offer online therapy for adults located throughout Utah who are struggling with anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and boundary difficulties.
Virtual therapy can be especially helpful if you have a demanding schedule, live outside the Salt Lake Valley, prefer the privacy and familiarity of meeting from home, or simply find it easier to make therapy part of your life without adding another commute.
Sessions are provided by Laurel Mallonee, LCSW, and are available to teachers, educators, healthcare workers, and other caring professionals who live in Utah.
Specialized Therapy Without a Long Commute
Finding a therapist nearby is one thing. Finding a therapist whose experience matches what you’re dealing with can be harder—particularly if you’re looking for specialized OCD treatment or Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT).
Online therapy allows adults throughout Utah to access specialized care without being limited to the therapists practicing nearby. This may be especially valuable if you live in a smaller or rural community where specialized OCD treatment options are more limited.
It can also make therapy easier to fit into an already full life. Without the additional commute, you can attend sessions from a private location that works for you while still accessing a therapist whose approach feels like the right fit.
Whether you live along the Wasatch Front, in southern Utah, or in a smaller community elsewhere in the state, online therapy can make specialized treatment more accessible.
Online OCD and Intrusive Thoughts Therapy in Utah
OCD can be difficult to recognize because many compulsions happen internally.
You may not spend hours checking locks or arranging objects. Instead, you may find yourself:
- Mentally reviewing whether you did something wrong
- Asking others for reassurance
- Repeatedly analyzing a thought to determine what it “means”
- Checking your memories
- Trying to reach complete certainty before making a decision
- Avoiding people, places, or situations that trigger doubt
- Confessing thoughts or feelings in order to feel relief
- Researching the same question over and over
- Feeling ashamed of intrusive thoughts that conflict with your values
These patterns can become exhausting.
Online OCD therapy can help you better understand how obsessional doubt develops, recognize the cycles that keep it going, and build a different relationship with intrusive thoughts and uncertainty.
At Laurel M Therapy, OCD treatment may include Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or I-CBT, depending on your needs and goals.
I-CBT for OCD Through Online Therapy
For some clients with OCD, therapy may include Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT).
I-CBT focuses on the reasoning process that happens before anxiety and compulsions take over.
OCD often begins with a possibility:
What if I missed something?
What if this thought says something terrible about me?
What if I made the wrong choice?
What if I cannot trust my memory?
The possibility may begin to feel increasingly believable even when it is not grounded in what is happening in the present moment.
I-CBT helps you examine how that doubt develops and learn to distinguish between present-moment information and imagined possibilities that OCD has made feel urgent.
For many clients, this work translates naturally to online sessions because much of therapy involves understanding thoughts, reasoning patterns, stories, and the ways compulsive doubt becomes convincing.
Online Therapy for People-Pleasing and Boundary Difficulties
You may have spent years becoming very good at anticipating what other people need.
You notice shifts in someone’s mood.
You try to prevent conflict before it happens.
You say yes because saying no feels uncomfortable.
You feel guilty when someone is disappointed.
You may know intellectually that you are allowed to have boundaries while still feeling emotionally responsible for how everyone responds to them.
Over time, this can lead to resentment, exhaustion, anxiety, and a sense that you no longer know what you actually want.
Online therapy can provide space to explore:
- People-pleasing
- Difficulty saying no
- Fear of disappointing others
- Codependent relationship patterns
- Hyper-responsibility
- Guilt after setting boundaries
- Conflict avoidance
- Resentment and burnout
- Difficulty trusting your own decisions
- Feeling responsible for keeping everyone else okay
Therapy can help you develop relationships that allow room for both connection and a stronger sense of self.
Virtual Therapy for Healthcare Professionals and Educators
Online therapy can be especially practical for people whose work schedules make traditional appointments difficult.
Healthcare professionals may be navigating OCD and intrusive thoughts during long shifts, rotating schedules, high-stakes responsibility, or be experiencing symptoms of deteriorated boundaries through emotional exhaustion and/or perfectionism.
Teachers and educators may experience boundary concerns when they spend their days managing the emotional needs of students, families, coworkers, and administrators while having little space left for themselves, or dealing with OCD and intrusive thoughts when their mind continues reviewing the day long after work is over.
In both professions, being conscientious and responsible can gradually turn into feeling responsible for everything.
Virtual therapy can make it easier to access consistent support without adding another commute to an already full week.
Laurel M Therapy works with adults in caring professions who may be experiencing:
- Anxiety
- Burnout
- Intrusive thoughts
- OCD
- Perfectionism
- Hyper-responsibility
- People-pleasing
- Boundary difficulties
- Emotional exhaustion
- Difficulty mentally leaving work at work
Why Choose Online Therapy?
For many people, virtual therapy removes some of the practical obstacles that make it difficult to begin or stay consistent with treatment.
Online therapy may be a good fit if you:
- Live outside the Salt Lake Valley
- Have a demanding or unpredictable work schedule
- Prefer not to spend additional time commuting
- Feel more comfortable talking from a familiar environment
- Have caregiving responsibilities that make travel difficult
- Want access to a therapist whose specialty may not be available nearby
- Prefer the convenience of attending sessions from home or another private location
Online therapy is not necessarily better or worse than meeting in person, it is simply another way of accessing care. A free consultation can give you a chance to ask questions, share a little about what you are experiencing, and decide whether online therapy with Laurel feels like the right next step.
What Online Therapy Sessions Are Like
You do not need to prepare a perfect explanation of why you are reaching out.
At the beginning, we can talk about what has been happening, what feels hardest right now, and what you would like to be different.
Depending on your needs, online therapy may include:
- Identifying anxiety and OCD patterns
- Understanding intrusive thoughts and obsessional doubt
- Examining reassurance-seeking, checking, rumination, or avoidance
- Exploring perfectionism and hyper-responsibility
- Learning to recognize people-pleasing and boundary patterns
- Processing difficult emotions and experiences
- Strengthening self-trust
- Practicing new ways of responding to fear and uncertainty
- Developing practical changes you can use outside of therapy
My approach is collaborative and engaged.
Therapy is not about judging the parts of you that are struggling. It is about understanding what is happening and finding ways to respond that give you more freedom in your daily life.
A free consultation can give you a chance to ask questions, share a little about what you are experiencing, and decide whether online therapy with Laurel feels like the right next step.
Laurel Mallonee, LCSW
Laurel M Therapy
Phone/Text: (385) 743-8732
Email: LaurelMLCSW@gmail.com
Online therapy available to adults throughout Utah.
FAQ About Online Therapy in Utah
Do you offer online therapy throughout Utah?
Yes. Laurel M Therapy offers online therapy for adults who are physically located in Utah at the time of their session.
What concerns do you treat through virtual therapy?
Online therapy is available for adults experiencing anxiety, OCD, intrusive thoughts, perfectionism, people-pleasing, boundary difficulties, codependency, and related concerns.
Can OCD be treated through online therapy?
Yes. Many aspects of OCD treatment can be provided through virtual therapy. Treatment may include identifying obsessional doubt, understanding compulsions, addressing reassurance-seeking and rumination, and learning different ways of responding to intrusive thoughts.
Do you offer I-CBT online?
Yes. Laurel Mallonee, LCSW, may incorporate Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy into online OCD treatment when it is appropriate for the client’s needs and goals.
Do I need to live near Salt Lake City to work with Laurel?
No. Online therapy is available to adults throughout Utah. You do not need to live near Salt Lake City or Murray to participate in virtual sessions.
Can I switch between online and in-person therapy?
In-person therapy is also available through Laurel M Therapy’s Murray office. If both options are clinically and logistically appropriate for you, you can discuss scheduling preferences directly with Laurel.
Is online therapy a good fit for busy professionals?
It can be. Virtual therapy may be particularly convenient for healthcare professionals, educators, caregivers, and others with demanding schedules because it removes commute time and can make appointments easier to integrate into the week.
What do I need for an online therapy appointment?
You will generally need a reliable internet connection, a device that supports video sessions, and a private location where you feel comfortable talking.
Do you accept insurance for online therapy?
Laurel M Therapy is primarily a private-pay practice. Superbills are available upon request for clients who would like to independently pursue possible out-of-network reimbursement. Find more information on the Fees and FAQ page.
How do I get started?
You can begin by scheduling a free 15-minute consultation. This gives you a chance to ask questions, briefly discuss what you are looking for, and decide whether working together feels like a good fit.