Online therapy for adults and couples in Washington and Oregon

Dr. Lauren Helm is extensively trained in evidence-based treatments with strong scientific support. These approaches are widely recognized for their effectiveness in treating anxiety, OCD, and related concerns, and are tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Commonly used treatments include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – helps you identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD – a leading approach for reducing compulsions and managing intrusive thoughts

• CBT with Exposure Therapy – supports gradual, supported exposure to feared situations for anxiety disorders, panic, and phobias

In addition to these core approaches, Dr. Helm also draws from third-wave cognitive behavioral therapies—evidence-based models that integrate mindfulness, emotional flexibility, and self-compassion:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – builds psychological flexibility through values-based action and mindfulness

• Unified Protocol (UP-CBT) – a transdiagnostic CBT model targeting shared emotional processes across anxiety, depression, and related conditions

• Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) – supports self-kindness and reduces self-criticism, particularly for clients with shame or trauma

• Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) – blends mindfulness and self-compassion to increase emotional resilience

For couples therapy, Dr. Helm draws from gold-standard, evidence-based approaches:

• Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT) – emphasizes both acceptance and change, helping partners reduce blame, interrupt negative patterns, and reconnect emotionally

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) – focuses on deepening emotional bonds and healing attachment injuries through responsive, secure connection

• Gottman Method Couples Therapy – a structured, research-based approach that enhances communication, trust, and intimacy, grounded in decades of relationship science

These approaches are active, collaborative, and experiential—designed to support meaningful, lasting change.

Dr. Lauren Helm approaches therapy as a collaborative, compassionate process. She brings clinical expertise, structure, and evidence-based tools; you bring your insight, lived experience, and values. Together, you’ll work to identify your goals and move toward meaningful, lasting change.

Dr. Helm aims to be a steady, supportive presence—someone who helps you feel grounded when things are overwhelming, and who guides you as you navigate your emotions and life challenges. Her approach is warm, curious, and respectful, with a deep commitment to creating a space where you feel safe, seen, and understood.

Your work together will focus on practical strategies that can be applied in everyday life. Whether you're managing anxiety, setting boundaries, or building new habits, Dr. Helm will help you translate insight into action—so that change feels achievable, empowering, and aligned with what matters most to you.

Throughout the process, she holds space for both growth and self-acceptance—honoring where you’ve been, what you’ve carried, and who you’re becoming.

Anxiety and OCD can be exhausting and overwhelming. You might find yourself caught in loops of overthinking, anticipating worst-case scenarios, or avoiding things that used to feel manageable.

Anxiety can show up as chronic worry, panic attacks, social fear, perfectionism, or a constant sense of unease.

OCD often includes distressing, intrusive thoughts and urges to do certain behaviors (compulsions) to feel “just right” or to prevent something bad from happening.

Some people experience high-functioning anxiety—they seem outwardly successful but feel constantly on edge, driven by fear of failure or not doing enough.

Others may struggle with health anxiety, frequently worrying about illness or misinterpreting body sensations.

Perfectionism can also fuel anxiety, creating pressure to meet unrealistic standards and a fear of making mistakes.

These are not signs of weakness—they’re patterns your brain has learned in response to fear, uncertainty, or past stress. And they are treatable.

At Rise Psychology, Dr. Lauren Helm specializes in evidence-based treatment for anxiety-related disorders, including:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Social Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

• Specific Phobias

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Illness Anxiety Disorder

• Somatic Symptom Disorder

Treatment is tailored to your unique experiences and draws from therapies like CBT, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Exposure Therapy, and the Unified Protocol.

Together, you will work to reduce the grip of anxiety and help you build a life that feels more open, grounded, and aligned with what matters most to you.

Executive functioning skills are the mental tools we use to manage time, stay organized, regulate emotions, plan ahead, and follow through on tasks. When these skills aren’t working efficiently—due to ADHD, anxiety, chronic stress, or burnout—it can lead to frustration, overwhelm, and a sense of falling behind despite your best intentions.

You might find yourself struggling with focus, task initiation, procrastination, emotional regulation, or time management. These challenges can affect work, relationships, daily routines, and your sense of confidence and motivation.

But executive functioning isn’t just about willpower—it’s about building supportive strategies, shifting unhelpful thought patterns, and understanding how your brain works best.

Dr. Lauren Helm offers therapy and coaching to help you:

• Develop tools for planning, prioritization, organization, and routine-building

• Strengthen task initiation, time management, and follow-through

• Address perfectionism, procrastination, and emotional dysregulation

• Use CBT-based strategies to challenge internalized self-criticism and rigid thinking

• Build self-compassion and work with your brain, not against it

• Identify your strengths, needs, and values to create systems that fit your life

Many people experience executive functioning challenges due to ADHD, anxiety, or ongoing stress. Therapy offers a space to build practical tools, restore a sense of agency, and create sustainable systems that support how your brain actually works. Dr. Helm works collaboratively to help you feel more organized, empowered, and aligned with your values and goals.

Even strong relationships can face periods of disconnection, conflict, or uncertainty. You may find yourselves having the same arguments, feeling misunderstood, or unsure how to move forward. Challenges like emotional distance, communication breakdowns, or unresolved hurt can arise in any partnership—and often reflect deeper attachment patterns, emotional wounds, or learned relational dynamics.

Relationships are central to our well-being, but navigating them can be one of the most complex parts of life. You may feel overly responsible for others' emotions, struggle to express your needs, or find it difficult to set boundaries and repair after conflict. These patterns can surface with romantic partners, friends, family members, or in your relationship with yourself.

At Rise Psychology, Dr. Lauren Helm works with individuals and couples to explore and heal relationship dynamics with care, clarity, and compassion.

Support for Individuals

Dr. Helm helps clients understand their relational patterns and build healthier, more secure connections. Common areas of focus include:

• Communication challenges and conflict patterns

• Emotional disconnection, avoidance, or fear of vulnerability

• People-pleasing and difficulty setting or maintaining boundaries

• Relationship anxiety, OCD-related dynamics, and attachment insecurity

• Recovery from past relational wounds or ruptures

Therapy may involve identifying unhelpful patterns, developing assertive communication, and practicing emotional attunement and repair. Dr. Helm draws from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Interpersonal Effectiveness strategies from DBT to support this work.

Support for Couples

Couples therapy provides a structured, supportive space to slow down, communicate more effectively, and rebuild emotional connection. Dr. Helm works with couples navigating a range of concerns, including:

• Escalating conflict or difficulty resolving arguments

• Emotional distance or loss of intimacy

• Attachment differences and misunderstandings

• The impact of parenting, life transitions, or external stressors

• Trust ruptures, recurring disconnection, or differing values

Using evidence-based approaches such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT), and the Gottman Method, Dr. Helm helps couples understand their emotional cycles, repair past hurts, and build a more secure, fulfilling bond.

Therapy can support you in reconnecting, deepening intimacy, and making intentional decisions about your relationship—whether you're in crisis or simply seeking to grow stronger together.

Supporting healing, safety, and resilience

Trauma can reshape how you feel, think, and relate to others. You may experience anxiety, shame, emotional numbness, or a sense of disconnection from yourself or the world around you. These are common—and treatable—responses to overwhelming experiences.

Therapy offers a safe, structured space to process trauma at your own pace. At Rise Psychology, treatment may draw on evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, the Unified Protocol, and Prolonged Exposure (PE)—a gold-standard method for gradually confronting trauma-related memories and triggers in a safe and empowering way.

Trauma therapy can help you:

• Reduce avoidance, flashbacks, and emotional reactivity

• Rebuild a sense of safety and connection

• Heal from shame, guilt, or self-blame

• Regain clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of self

Dr. Lauren Helm offers trauma-informed online therapy for adults in Washington and Oregon—supporting your path toward healing, meaning, and post-traumatic growth.

Perfectionism often looks like high standards and hard work on the outside—but inside, it can feel like never being good enough. You might spend hours overthinking, reworking, or second-guessing yourself, only to feel like you’ve still fallen short. Mistakes may feel unacceptable, and self-worth might depend on constant achievement or others’ approval.

While perfectionism can sometimes drive success, it often comes at a steep cost: chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, procrastination, low self-compassion, and difficulty relaxing or enjoying life. It can also impact relationships, making it hard to be vulnerable, ask for help, or tolerate your own humanity.

In therapy, you can explore how perfectionism developed, how it's maintained, and—most importantly—how to loosen its grip while still honoring your goals and values.

Therapy may include:

• Identifying perfectionistic thinking and behavioral patterns

• Developing more flexible, realistic self-expectations

• Practicing self-compassion and emotional resilience

• Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking

• Learning to value effort, rest, and progress over performance

You don’t have to keep striving endlessly to prove your worth. Therapy can help you create space for rest, joy, and connection—without sacrificing what matters most to you.

When you're burned out, everything can feel like too much—and not enough—at the same time. You might feel physically and emotionally drained, disconnected from your motivation or sense of purpose, and constantly behind no matter how hard you try. Overwhelm can show up as irritability, mental fog, exhaustion, or a sense of emotional flatness. You may find yourself pushing through, even as your inner resources feel depleted.

Burnout is not a personal failure—it’s often the result of chronic stress, perfectionism, caregiving demands, or unsustainable expectations in your work or personal life. It can affect anyone, but is especially common among high-achievers, helpers, parents, and those juggling multiple roles.

At Rise Psychology, Dr. Lauren Helm help clients:

• Understand the psychological and physiological signs of burnout

• Identify internal and external sources of overwhelm

• Set compassionate boundaries and redefine productivity

• Reconnect with meaning, values, and sustainable motivation

• Develop skills for nervous system regulation and emotional resilience

Together, you’ll work to restore your energy, clarify your priorities, and help you build a life that feels more spacious, intentional, and aligned with your values.

Academic and professional life can be deeply meaningful—but also exhausting. When you're juggling deadlines, high expectations, and the pressure to succeed, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, stuck, or like you're falling short—no matter how hard you're trying.

You might be running on empty, caught in cycles of perfectionism, procrastination, or burnout. Maybe you're pushing yourself to meet others' expectations while quietly questioning your own path. For students and high-achievers alike, stress can show up as anxiety, imposter syndrome, emotional fatigue, or difficulty focusing.

You may also be facing bigger questions:
What am I working toward? Does this still feel like me? Is it time for something different?

Therapy offers space to slow down and sort through the noise. Dr. Lauren Helm helps clients navigate:

• Performance pressure, fear of failure, and self-doubt

• The impact of ADHD, anxiety, or perfectionism on focus and follow-through

• Career ambivalence, identity shifts, or major life transitions

• Burnout, disconnection, or feeling “successful” but unfulfilled

• Clarifying what truly matters—your values, strengths, and vision for meaningful work

Therapy can help you reconnect with your purpose, restore your energy, and take meaningful steps forward—grounded in clarity, confidence, and self-compassion.

Life is full of transitions—some planned, others unexpected. Even positive changes can bring stress, grief, or a sense of disorientation. You might feel excited and hopeful one moment, then overwhelmed or untethered the next. It’s common to question your identity, struggle with decision-making, or feel unsure about what comes next.

You may be:

• Starting or ending a relationship

• Navigating a career change, graduation, or new role

• Adjusting to parenthood, relocation, or loss of community

• Rebuilding after illness, burnout, or a period of upheaval

• Confronting questions of identity, purpose, or what you want from life

Transitions often stir up old patterns, internal pressure, or emotional pain that’s hard to name. Therapy offers a grounded, compassionate space to process change, clarify your values, and build a more intentional path forward.

Dr. Lauren Helm helps clients explore their experiences with warmth, structure, and evidence-based tools—so you can meet this season of change with resilience, clarity, and self-trust.

Living with a chronic illness or chronic pain condition can touch every area of life—your energy, routines, relationships, sense of identity, and emotional well-being. The challenges often go far beyond physical symptoms. You may find yourself coping with pain, fatigue, or medical uncertainty while also navigating grief, frustration, isolation, or fear about the future.

At times, you might feel disconnected from your body, misunderstood by others, or pressured to “push through” even when your limits are clear. Ongoing health issues can also intensify anxiety, depression, or shame—especially when illness or pain interferes with your goals, independence, or sense of control.

Therapy offers a space to honor the full complexity of your experience—without minimizing it or pathologizing your response. Dr. Lauren Helm draws from evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients:

• Process grief, identity shifts, and medical trauma

• Navigate flare-ups, uncertainty, and emotional ups and downs

• Address anxiety, guilt, or self-criticism related to physical limitations

• Build self-compassion, emotional resilience, and flexible coping strategies

• Reconnect with meaning, purpose, and a sense of agency in daily life

Dr. Helm works collaboratively and gently, helping you explore what healing and well-being can look like for you—within the reality of your body, your values, and your life.

Therapy isn’t only for when things feel unmanageable—it can also be a space for reflection, growth, and becoming more fully yourself. You may be feeling a quiet sense that something needs to shift, even if nothing is “technically wrong.” Or you may want to deepen your self-understanding, break out of old patterns, or explore what a more meaningful life could look like.

Therapy can support clients who are seeking:

• A stronger sense of identity or direction

• Greater emotional awareness and self-compassion

• Healing from past patterns that no longer serve them

• Support navigating life transitions or choices

• A deeper connection with personal values, purpose, or creativity

Personal development is a powerful process—one that invites clarity, courage, and the ability to live with more intention. Whether you're in a season of change or simply want to reconnect with what matters most, therapy offers a collaborative and supportive space for growth.

Ready to take the first step?

If you are a Washington or Oregon resident, schedule a complimentary 25 minute phone consultation so that we can discuss your needs and how Rise Psychology may be able to support you.

You can schedule an appointment by clicking “Book Appointment” to book your consultation.

Intake Assessment: In your first few sessions, Dr. Lauren Helm will spend time getting to know you (this is called an intake assessment). She will ask about your current concerns, past experiences, and what’s most important to you, so she can understand you as a whole person.

Treatment Planning: Dr. Helm will work with you to clarify your goals and decide on an approach that feels right for you.

Therapy Sessions: As you move forward, your therapy sessions will be focused on helping you make meaningful progress toward your goals.

Sessions might include exploring patterns, working through difficult emotions, learning and practicing new skills, reflecting on what’s working (and addressing what’s not using problem-solving tools).

Over time, you can expect to walk away with a deeper understanding of yourself, new tools to manage challenges, and a clearer sense of how to move toward the life you want.

Individual Therapy:

• For individual psychotherapy, Dr. Lauren Helm currently accepts Lyra Health and Aetna in Washington state.

• If you have a different insurance provider, you may still be eligible for out-of-network benefits.

• Private pay options are also available.

Couples Therapy:

• Only private pay is accepted.

Please visit the billing and insurance page for details.

If you are a current client, you may log into the secure Client Portal to view your upcoming appointments, request new appointments, download documents, and retrieving Superbills by clicking the Current Clients button.