Welcome to Garza Counseling
Therapy for trauma, anxiety, and OCD
Telehealth throughout AZ, CA, CO, AK, and UK
If anxiety is running your life, intrusive thoughts won't leave you alone, or past experiences keep showing up in the present, therapy can help you regain a sense of control and safety.
I provide specialized therapy for trauma healing, freedom from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and restoring regulation to the nervous system.
My services focus on your unique journey. I blend evidence-based practices with supportive services to guide you towards emotional well-being, because mental health treatment should not be one-size-fits-all.
I offer 100% virtual mental health counseling for individuals, families, and support systems in the comfort of your own home or community. I am licensed to serve clients physically located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Alaska, and the United Kingdom.
Please use this button to schedule or submit a contact form, or email me directly at info@garzacounseling.com to ask questions to determine if I may be the right fit for you and your therapy goals.
Meet Devon Garza, MC, LPC/LPCC
Hi, I'm Devon Garza and I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Phoenix, Arizona.
I'm passionate about helping people experiencing challenges stemming from both acute and complex/complicated trauma, all anxiety conditions, and compulsive behaviors of all types live their best lives. I strive to integrate the science and art of mental health counseling to meet folks where they are and help them get to where they want to be.
I have experience and expertise in providing evidence based practices (EBPs) for a variety of conditions, including compulsive sexual behaviors (aka "sex addiction") and will also utilize supplemental and emerging therapeutic approaches when appropriate.
Overcoming Trauma & PTSD
Trauma isn't just what happened to you; it's how your nervous system responded. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other trauma responses can make the past feel like it's happening right now, leaving you stuck in a cycle of hypervigilance, avoidance, and replaying or dissociating from painful memories. You are not broken; your brain is simply still trying to protect you from a threat that has passed. Healing starts with validation and understanding the physiological roots of your distress before turning our attention forward to a wanted future.
How We Heal From Trauma
Understanding PTSD
Shame about the past can keep people from experiencing the freedom they deserve. Our work starts by reviewing the science of trauma and prepares you with the tools to reclaim your life from the shadows of your experiences, no matter what happened and when.
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Prolonged Exposure is a highly effective, gold-standard therapy for PTSD. It helps you gradually approach trauma-related memories and real-life situations you've been avoiding, allowing your brain to process the event and regain a sense of safety and control with you at the helm.
Nervous System Regulation
Trauma often leaves the nervous system stuck in 'fight-or-flight' even when the danger is gone. I offer evidence-based modalities to restore regulation, helping you move from constant hypervigilance to a state of emotional well-being and stability.
Additional Trauma Modalities
If processing trauma through narrative and exposure like PE feels daunting, we have other options including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT).
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
I am a certified practitioner of SSP, a listening therapy that helps retune and recalibrate your nervous system toward safety and self-regulation. This service can integrate with any therapy, or stand alone. Learn more at www.whatisthessp.com
Overcoming OCD & Anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that can consume hours of your day. It is a mental health condition characterized by a cycle of anxiety and relief-seeking that goes far beyond a preference for order or cleanliness. I treat all subtypes and specialize in taboo themes and mental compulsions.
Most other forms of anxiety, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Phobias, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, Health/Illness Anxiety, are treated similarly to OCD (with ERP, CBT, and ACT) with personalized adjustments.
The Gold Standard: ERP Therapy
Exposure
Facing fears and thoughts without avoidance. This involves gradually and systematically putting yourself in situations that trigger your obsessions or worries in a safe and controlled way.
Response Prevention
Breaking the cycle of compulsions, avoidance, or safety behaviors. Making a conscious choice to not perform the behavior that used to provide temporary relief but ultimately holds you back from making values-congruent choices.
Habituation and Inhibitory Learning
Teaching the brain that the 'threat' is safe, and showing that your fear doesn't happen or is tolerable. Over time, your anxiety naturally decreases as your brain learns these triggers aren't dangerous.
Beyond Exposure: Integrating ERP Skills Into Daily Life
People with OCD often have challenges outside of the condition, but struggle to find a general therapist trained in ERP, which increases the risk of therapy unintentionally making OCD worse. On the other hand, many ERP-only therapists are quite rigid and inflexible around addressing anything else in session, often missing the whole picture and person even when OCD symptoms are under control. We will work together to find the happy medium where we maintain an ERP lens and ensure OCD doesn't sneak in while addressing non-OCD problems like stress, relationships, boundaries, decision-making, behavioral changes, etc. You've learned to tolerate discomfort and accept uncertainty, let's put those tools into practice as the other areas of your life improve! I provide OCD-informed couples and family therapy as well.
Therapy for therapists
Drawing from experience working at various levels of care including inpatient/ residential, outpatient, and community mental health before venturing out into self-employed private practice, I particularly enjoy offering high-quality therapy tailored to the unique needs of fellow mental health professionals at all levels and phases of their professional development. I deeply understand the personal and professional demands of this work. My practice provides a supportive space to address anxiety, OCD, perfectionism, and hyper-responsibility frequently experienced by therapists. I also address the intersections of personal and professional trauma, including secondary/ vicarious traumatization and compassion fatigue. My goal is to help you care for yourself with the same intention and compassion you provide your clients.
Services and Fees
I do not accept insurance but can provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance for out-of-network (OON) reimbursement. If you are seeking insurance-covered care, I can provide referrals and guidance for navigating systems to locate in-network providers.
30-Minute Therapy Session - $110
As you gain confidence and make progress, sessions may become less frequent as well as shorter. These 30-minute sessions are reserved for folks in maintenance and provide ongoing support, accountability, skill boosters, and relapse prevention.
50-Minute Therapy Session - $210
With a clear understanding of your needs and goals planned from your intake, active therapy focuses on your highest priorities using therapy modalities tailored to your specific goals, unique strengths, preferences, and circumstances.
Diagnostic Assessment - $210
The 50-Minute initial intake appointment is a comprehensive evaluation of your concerns, symptoms, and history to provide an accurate diagnosis and establish a treatment plan for ongoing therapy. It is required for all clients before therapy can begin.