Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
& OCD/ERP Specialist
Alexa Reinecke
MS, LCPC, NCC
Therapy for ages 10+
I’m passionate about helping teens and adults navigate life’s changes, challenges, and transitions. I specialize in supporting individuals managing depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), offering a safe and supportive space for growth and healing.
My expertise is in Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for OCD and complex anxiety disorders, including social anxiety. This evidence-based approach empowers clients to change their relationship with anxiety, moving beyond fear to live in alignment with their values. With experience in hospital-based programs, I also draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to provide concrete skills, value-based growth, and sustainable progress.
At the heart of my practice is the belief that a genuine therapist–client connection is key to meaningful change. I bring warmth, humor, and authenticity to my sessions, creating a safe, welcoming environment where clients feel understood and supported.
A little about me:
I love relaxing with my English Cream Retriever, Noki, or watching a new crime/thriller miniseries. Sunny beaches, writing poetry, and time with family and friends recharge me. I’m also passionate about women’s health, supporting women in advocating for themselves and setting healthy boundaries in all areas of life.
Education:
North Central College - B.A. in Marketing/Minor in Psychology, 2015
National Louis University - M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2022
What are your top specialties?
OCD, phobias and complex anxiety disorders, including social anxiety. I enjoy seeing my clients grow in courage, face their fears, and be able to walk alongside them in a coaching role, helping them believe they are more capable than they think. It inspires me and holds me accountable in challenging myself to do hard things, as well. Exposure therapy keeps me and my clients on our toes. It is a mutual journey of moving through anxiety.
I enjoy working with women with endometriosis or suspected endometriosis, especially those who have experienced medical gaslighting, whose symptoms were minimized or normalized, and who didn't receive a diagnosis for many years, all while living in extreme pain. As someone with personal experience, I aim to provide solidarity to women in this position, as well as help them to understand their limits, advocate for themselves, set boundaries, and communicate their needs to others. In addition, I am passionate about working with women with a recent or late ADHD diagnosis. I enjoy helping these women observe their experiences in a new way, understand their brain chemistry, untangle the symptoms that may have been masked by other conditions, and have more self-compassion.
What insurance do you accept?
BCBS PPO, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna/Evernorth and United.
What does a typical session with you look like?
You can expect me to match your energy and humor, challenge you a little bit/call you out once we have been working together for a while, and remind you of your greatness. I meet clients where they are at and explore where they want to be.
I have a very empowering approach in helping clients increase their belief in themselves and their own ability to overcome the barriers in their lives. I gently challenge clients in facing their fears, in order to move past the things that are keeping them stuck. Through humor, trust, and a genuine relationship, I aim to make clients feel that I am on their side and cheering them on while they do hard things.
How do clients describe you?
Welcoming, empowering and authentic.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone witty and funny, who challenges me a bit when I challenge them. I love moments during exposure therapy, when we explore feared outcomes together, and play the game of back and forth "what ifs." It can get pretty wild.
What would you say to someone considering therapy with you?
Sometimes we know that we want to change and hesitate because that means changing the way we are doing things. This can feel like we are removing our safety net and our current ways of functioning. When this is how you are feeling, it can be helpful to ask yourself, is it scarier to change or scarier to stay the same? In in my approach to therapy, I never push you beyond what you are ready and willing to do. We will look at where you are at and brainstorm small steps together that feel attainable. Change can feel very overwhelming, and so I take a mindfulness approach of focusing on what we can do today.
Alexa’s Approach
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP): We start with purposefully exposing you to the things that make you anxious, in order to increase your tolerance to anxiety. The goal is to change how you respond to your anxiety both in terms of behavior change and changing your relationship with anxiety itself. We always collaborate on what feels valuable to you and what you are willing to do.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): We learn to accept the presence of distressing thoughts and feelings instead of fighting against them. By allowing these thoughts to be there, we will learn techniques to create space from them and focus our energy on valuable activities. We will also work on detaching the meaning we place on our thoughts and view them in a more neutral way.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Many people with anxiety are consumed with thoughts that are distorted, meaning that they do not match the facts of the situation. CBT is about understanding the connection between our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical sensations.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): For this approach to be successful, it is important to understand dialectics, which is a term used to describe how two opposing truths can exist at the same time. We can be afraid and courageous, stuck and capable, hurting and healing, accept who we are and still want to change. DBT skills allow us to improve our relationships and communication, our ability to tolerate distressing situations and minimize destructive/harmful behavior, manage huge emotional swings that make us feel unstable, and focus on the present moment, rather than ruminating over the past and future.
Click here for more detailed information on therapeutic modalities.
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Used commonly as a treatment for OCD, the exposure component of ERP refers to practicing confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make you anxious and/or provoke your obsessions.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps you move beyond negative thoughts and feelings in a meaningful way by accepting that your thoughts and emotions are an appropriate response to certain situations and committing to making changes in your life that match your values.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented type of talk therapy that can help manage mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, and emotional concerns, such as coping with grief or stress.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy, specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely.
Top Specialties:
Anxiety
Mood Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD)
Areas of Expertise:
ADHD in Teens
Adolescent and Young Adult Issues
Borderline Personality (BPD)
Codependency
Coping Skills
Depression
Dual Diagnosis
Identity Issues
Life Transitions
Peer Relationships
Phobias
Relationship Issues
School Issues
Self Esteem
Self-Harming
Social Anxiety
Sports Performance
Stress
Suicidal Ideation
Women's Issues
Interested in working together? Fill out the form below, call (630) 940-6828 or email scheduling@paderatherapy.com. We also offer a 15-minute free phone consultation.
Questions about insurance?
Give us a call or email scheduling@paderatherapy.com. We can often work with insurance companies if we are out-of-network. If we are an out-of-network provider or you do not have insurance, our rate is currently $135.00 for a 53 minute session. However, we also offer reduced rates in special circumstances. Finances should never be a deterrent for seeking help! We work with families to come up with a number that works for you.