Faran Asen

Throughout life, I had the opportunity to experience therapy from both sides and learned how essential it is to feel heard and understood. I wanted to be part of making that happen for others. I believe that everyone has their own unique strengths that can help them to achieve their goals. When we are suffering, it can feel impossible to identify these strengths in ourselves. I quickly became passionate about supporting others through this process.

I'm very goal-oriented. The great thing about treating OCD is being able to see the process and the outcome. It's unique in that way, compared to other forms of therapy where it can be harder to directly see results. That's really rewarding. OCD is also unique in terms of how well people can come to understand it. Once you understand, that's almost half the battle.

I have a background in CBT and have treated a lot of anxiety and panic disorders. I also have a lot of experience in DBT, treating borderline personality disorder, especially in adolescents, and treating emotional dysregulation.

Have clear expectations. OCD therapy is not linear—in terms of progress, it's not going to start in one spot and be smooth sailing. It goes up and down. And that's what it's supposed to look like. If things are getting tough, that doesn't mean you're moving backward. That's how it's supposed to be, and that's totally OK. As long as you're still willing to keep going, you're succeeding. Half the battle is showing up.

We can talk that out. Just sharing that fear is a big step. Are you afraid of talking about something because it's embarrassing, or is it because you're worried that if you share it, something might happen?