Siobhan Strickhart, LPC Psychotherapy & Counseling

05/29/2026

I have recommended this book several times over the past few days and thought I'd share in case anyone else would benefit from reading it.

Many people think OCD is about being organized, liking things neat, or being particular. We often hear people say things like "OMG I'm so OCD when it comes to .

This book challenges those misconceptions and offers a deeply personal look at the intrusive thoughts, rituals, shame, fear, and exhaustion that can come with OCD.

'Because We Are Bad' by Lily Bailey, brings you inside the mind of experiencing what it is like living with OCD.

One of the things I often tell clients is that knowledge can reduce shame. When we understand what is happening in our minds and nervous systems, we can begin responding with compassion instead of self-criticism.

Whether you live with OCD, love someone who does, or simply want a better understanding of what OCD actually looks like beyond the stereotypes, I highly recommend this read.

05/28/2026

Some feelings don’t cancel each other out.
You can feel grateful and overwhelmed.
Hopeful and exhausted.
Healing and still hurting.

We tend to think in more black or white terms, but what if you made space for both emotions?

Two things can be true at the same time.
And learning to hold both with compassion instead of judgment is something we work on in therapy.

Interested in changing how you think? Simply reach out (link in bio) and schedule your free consultation. :)

05/26/2026

Years ago, when I was interning, we would often watch *Inside Out* during group therapy.

I remember thinking even then how well it captured emotions in a way that felt accessible and understandable. It gave people language for experiences that can sometimes feel hard to explain.

Years later, I took my daughter to see *Inside Out 2* in the movies. And over the past few weeks, my youngest has been asking to watch “Joy” every single day.

It’s funny watching it now from a different season of life.

As a therapist, I notice how beautifully it portrays emotions. Fear isn’t the enemy. Sadness has a purpose. Anger communicates something. Joy matters, but she doesn’t have to run the whole show.

As a mom, I think about how important it is for kids to grow up understanding that emotions are not bad. They are not something to avoid, push away, or feel ashamed of.

Because so many of us grew up learning exactly that.

"Don’t cry."

"You’re overreacting."

"Calm down."

"Be grateful."

Many of us learned early on that certain emotions felt more acceptable than others.

Then we become adults trying to understand why we disconnect from ourselves, shut down, overthink, people please, or feel overwhelmed by emotions when they show up.

Emotions carry information.

Learning and understanding your emotions is so important. It helps us understand ourselves and others. It helps us understand how to respond to them.

Funny how a children’s movie can keep teaching us something new years later.

05/25/2026

05/19/2026

9 years ago, I graduated with my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling.

When I entered grad school in 2014, I knew I wanted to help people. What I couldn’t have fully understood then was what an incredible privilege it would be to walk alongside people through some of the hardest, most vulnerable, and transformative moments of their lives.

Over these past 9 years, I’ve witnessed resilience, healing, grief, growth, and the incredible strength people carry even when they cannot see it themselves.

What I never expected was how much my clients would change me, too. It is an incredible honor to be chosen as someone’s therapist: to hold space for their story, witness healing, and walk alongside people as they reconnect with themselves. My clients have taught me so much about courage, vulnerability, and resilience; they have changed me in ways they likely will never know.

9 years later, I still feel incredibly grateful that younger me chose this path.

05/16/2026

Guess what? Not every thought you have is the truth.

Sometimes what feels like “just anxiety” or “overthinking” is actually a deeper belief that’s been quietly shaping how you see yourself for years.

Examples:

Automatic thoughts are the quick reactions:
“I’m failing.”
“They’re upset with me.”
“I’m too much.”

Intermediate beliefs are the rules you learned:
“If I disappoint people, they’ll leave.”
“I have to stay strong.”
“My needs are a burden.”

Core beliefs are the deepest layer:
“I’m not enough.”
“I’m unlovable.”
“I’m unsafe.”

These beliefs often begin in environments where you had to adapt, stay hyperaware, or earn connection and safety.

Over time, they can become so familiar that they feel like facts instead of learned patterns. I also explain to clients that many of these beliefs are not just thoughts—we feel them in our bodies and nervous systems. That’s why simply “thinking differently” can feel so hard.

A thought like “I’m not good enough” can show up as anxiety, shame, tightness in the chest, overexplaining, people-pleasing, or emotional shutdown before we even consciously recognize what’s happening.

Awareness is what helps create change. When we begin to notice the thought, the feeling, and the deeper belief underneath it, we can start responding differently instead of automatically reacting from old patterns.

05/01/2026

Now reading....

Onward Forward by Brian Jeansonne.

I can't even begin to imagine what it is like to have ALS or know someone who has/had it.

I started following a few years ago. I have no idea how my algorithm led me to her, but since then, I have been introduced to so much about ALS.

Through following her, I was brought to other pages of people living with ALS, one of them being . As soon as I saw he wrote a book (with his eyes!), I purchased it.

I'm only at the beginning but already I find myself wondering what I would do. How would I face it? Would I have his strength? I don't know. But I think reading this might bring me a little closer to understanding....and maybe that's the whole point?

04/24/2026

The unintentional harm done by WMBNT parents.

04/22/2026

A little update!

I’m now licensed in Connecticut 🤍

Which means I’m seeing clients virtually in NJ, PA, and CT.

If you’re someone who looks like you have it all together but feels overwhelmed underneath… this is the work I do every day with clients.

Reach out through the link in my bio.

Feel free to share this with someone in CT who’s been looking for a therapist.

04/21/2026

“Getting to know yourself” sounds simple… until you try.

Because it means noticing:
– what you feel (instead of pushing it away)
– what you need (instead of what you should need)
– who you are when you’re not performing for everyone else

And that can feel… uncomfortable.

You're not becoming someone new—
just finally meeting the version of you that’s been there all along.