testimonials for emily gardner ocd

"I’ve seen a few therapists in the past, but it wasn’t until I started working with Emily that I was finally able to take my life back from OCD and anxiety.

She took the time to really understand the way OCD works for me, which meant that everything we did in therapy together felt well targeted and we could then design some behavioural experiments that made a huge difference.

I was worried that CBT might feel too structured or rigid for me, but Emily’s approach was always really flexible. I was impressed with how much I got from our work around feelings, self compassion and finally feeling able to change my inner critical dialog. The sessions were always focused on me and my goals and never felt overly clinical or narrowly focused on my symptoms. Thank you Emily! I am taking so much from the work we did together :-)"

"Emily helped me work through a very difficult and complex period of mental illness with patience and professionalism. Her dogged determination to understand my issues fully and to help me effectively deal with them has led to a greater understanding and acceptance of my condition which will benefit me for the rest of my life.  I am truly comforted by the fact that Emily will always be there to help if I need her."

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything over the past few weeks. You’ve changed my life in ways I never thought possible and shown me just how amazing life can be. Your kindness, compassion and humour helped me through the darkest times and I’m truly grateful to have met you."

Our daughter has suffered from emetophobia for a while. It became a lot worse with the transition to secondary school a few years ago. We have, along the journey, tried 4 different therapists but no one seemed able to really look at the whole picture and break it down into bite sized chunks that could be addressed. We then found Emily and our daughter connected with her instantly - someone who 'got' her, could get down to her teenage level and tell her that, with committed hard work, she could get through this and get her life back. That's what she needed to hear.

The flexibility of zoom calls was so helpful; also having a parent in on the sessions to understand what is being tackled and how to continue the work on our own throughout the week 'as homework' is invaluable - you become a team with Emily, all of us determined to report and hear improvements the following week. 

We have got to a point where we are now functioning as a family: able to go away, eat out and most importantly our daughter is nourished. We all understand the emetophobia bully, what makes it grow and how behaviours and accommodations keep her 'stuck'; a big part has also been understanding how her body responds to anxiety (flight or fight symptoms, butterflies and nausea). 

She has her sparkle back and for that we will be forever grateful. Thank you Emily 

"What you have given me is better than any gift anyone could give me on Christmas. I don’t think people can explain to you how much of an impact you make on their lives. You have really helped, I never would have got here without your help. The impact you’ve had on my life, I really need to say thank you."

"Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help over the last few months – it’s really helped me change my approach to a lot of things and life is definitely better as a result. Thank you."

"I wanted to say a huge thank you for all of your help and support throughout my CBT sessions. I was a bit too emosh to say this to you at our final session because I couldn’t quite believe the change that such a well structured approach could have in such a relatively short time but that has to be totally down to your brilliance – not only your skills and clinical expertise but also in being such a kind and patient and perceptive and motivational person. Thank you so much. I feel so lucky to have met you and anyone else that has you for a therapist will be really lucky too. Not only have you helped me to learn about and practice tools and techniques, you’ve helped me to realise I can start to be my own therapist. Really couldn’t believe how different I felt walking into work after our last session compared to our first. Thank you again."

"I wanted to say a huge thank you for working with me, for being patient, kind, listening and always taking time to explain everything and address my concerns. I was skeptical about both CBT and online therapy when we started – I’m so pleased that you proved me wrong! The techniques you have taught me have changed my life and my husbands also. I’m a million miles away from this time last year thanks to you and feel much more able to manage my thoughts into a healthier mind frame! Massive thank you as I could never have done this without you."

"Thank you for everything these past couple of months. I’ve learned so much from you and can honestly say that my life has completely changed. I’m grateful for having gone through this process with you. I wish you all the best for the future. Thank you!"