Gabriel Atherton, MA, LPC

Meet
Gabe

Gabriel is a summa cum laude graduate from the University of Central Oklahoma with her M.A. in Counseling Psychology who is passionate about supporting adults, teenagers, and children who struggle with the effects of trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other variations of anxiety (e.g. specific phobias, panic, social anxiety, etc.).

She has worked as a therapist with the Child Trauma Services Program within the OU Health Sciences Center where she supported youth diagnosed with PTSD, has accrued ample specialized training and experience in guiding individuals through personalized OCD treatment, and presently operates within private practice which allows for the opportunity to be most flexible in working with client's of all ages in achieving their goals. Gabriel is passionate about helping others learn to overcome fears which are holding them back from what is most important, and is an outspoken advocate for using treatment protocols which have been researched to show they are effective.

Committed to utilizing evidence-based therapy practices and recognizing each client as deserving of individualized care, Gabriel possesses a strong therapeutic foundation rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and commonly uses components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support her clients. Relevant to OCD, Gabriel has received abundant specialized training in Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), empirically understood to be the gold standard treatment modality for those struggling with this disorder. Notably, Gabriel is trained in effective trauma-focused treatments for PTSD including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Written Exposure Therapy (WET), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Regarding specific phobias, Gabriel enjoys utilizing both CBT/ERP as well as One Session Treatment (OST) which has been evidenced to be as clinically effective as 6-12 sessions of standard CBT/ERP treatment. Additionally, Gabriel has received training in I-CBT for OCD, EMDR for PTSD, and play therapy for children struggling with anxiety and/or stressful life changes. 

Gabriel believes each person should have the right to effective mental health care, continually strives toward cultural competence, is a vocal advocate for marginalized groups, and embraces versatility in meeting each of her client’s needs. She takes great pride in supporting her clients through understanding, navigating, and overcoming fear at a pace which best fits each individual. 

Let’s Work Together