What I Offer

Taking the first step is often the hardest part. Reach out. I'd love to hear what's going on.

How treatment at Untangled works.

Before we dive into what I treat, here's what makes treatment here different from most therapy practices:

🔹 It's short-term and goal-oriented. I identify what's getting in the way of your life and work to change it, efficiently and effectively. You won't be in therapy forever.

🔹 It's evidence-based. Every approach I use has a research base behind it. ERP, CBT, ACT, ComB, HRT, CBT-I, SPACE. These aren't trendy techniques. They're the methods that clinical research has proven work for OCD and anxiety.

🔹 It goes where the anxiety is. I offer in-vivo exposures, which means you practice in the real world, not just in my office. Grocery stores, schools, highways, malls. Wherever your anxiety lives, that's where we do the work. (A travel fee applies for locations far from the Naperville office.)

🔹 It can be intensive. Standard weekly sessions aren't always the right fit. When you need to move faster, or when the situation calls for it, I offer intensive formats including multiple sessions per week or extended sessions, to make meaningful progress quickly.

🔹 It includes home visits. For school refusal, severe anxiety, or situations where getting to the office is itself a barrier, I will come to you.

🔹 It includes your family. OCD and anxiety don't happen in a vacuum. I'm trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxiety, OCD, and Related Disorders) and offer parent coaching and family involvement as part of treatment. I also collaborate with psychiatrists, occupational therapists, schools, and other providers on your care team.

🔹 It builds your confidence. Symptom relief is the floor, not the ceiling. The real goal is a version of you that feels capable and in charge of your own mind.

Untangled is a specialty practice. Every condition below is something I work with every day, with deep training, real experience, and genuine investment in your outcome.

Services I Provide

Untangled was built around the condition that require real specialty training

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition, and also one of the most treatable. Whether it shows up as constant worry, panic attacks, a racing heart before social situations, or fear that keeps you from doing the things you love, anxiety responds beautifully to the right treatment.

I treat the full range of anxiety disorders, including:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Panic Disorder

• Social Anxiety Disorder

• Separation Anxiety Disorder

• Specific Phobias (including emetophobia, health anxiety, fear of driving, and more)

• Agoraphobia

Using CBT, ERP, and ACT, we work to understand what's driving your anxiety, challenge the thoughts and behaviors that keep it going, and build real tolerance for uncertainty so anxiety stops running the show.

Who this is for: Kids (ages 4+), teens, and adults.

Approaches used: CBT, ERP, ACT, iCBT

OCD

OCD is one of the most misunderstood conditions in mental health, and one of the most treatable when it's treated correctly. It's not about being neat or organized. It's a cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that can take over your day, your relationships, and your sense of self. The good news is that ERP works, and it works well.

I treat all subtypes of OCD, including:

• Contamination OCD

• Harm OCD

• Scrupulosity (Religious/Moral OCD)

• Relationship OCD (ROCD)

• "Just Right" OCD / Sensorimotor OCD

• Pure O (Intrusive Thought OCD)

• Postpartum/Perinatal OCD

• Existential OCD

• Emetophobia OCD

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

  
  

Using ERP and ACT, I help you face the thoughts and situations that trigger OCD, resist compulsions, and retrain your brain to tolerate uncertainty without spiraling. The cycle can be broken.

Who this is for: Kids (ages 4+), teens, and adults.

Approaches used: ERP, CBT, ACT

When a child or teenager refuses to go to school, or goes but suffers through it, the whole family feels it. School refusal is more than just "not wanting to go." It's often driven by real anxiety: fear of separation, social anxiety, panic, or OCD. And the longer it goes on, the harder it gets.

At Untangled, I specialize in getting kids and teens back to school. That means:

• Real-world exposures, practicing the situations that trigger anxiety, step by step

• Home visits, if getting to school is the barrier, I'll come to you

• SPACE-trained parent coaching, so the whole family knows how to respond in ways that help, not accidentally make things worse

• Collaboration with schools, working directly with teachers, counselors, and administrators to coordinate a return-to-school plan

School refusal is one of my favorite things to treat because the transformation is so visible. Kids who couldn't walk through the front door end up thriving.

Who this is for: Children and teenagers (and their families).

Approaches used: CBT, ERP, ACT, SPACE, in-vivo exposures, home visits

SCHOOL ANXIETY

BFRB's

Body-focused repetitive behaviors, including trichotillomania (hair pulling), excoriation (skin picking), onychophagia (nail biting), and related conditions, are chronic, often distressing habits that many people feel powerless to stop. BFRBs are not just "bad habits." They are real, recognized conditions with effective treatments.

I use two evidence-based approaches for BFRBs:

• ComB (Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment) identifies the specific triggers, functions, and maintaining factors of your BFRB and tailors treatment to your unique pattern

• HRT (Habit Reversal Training) teaches awareness and competing responses to interrupt the cycle

Many clients feel ashamed of their BFRBs and have never talked about them with anyone. My office is a judgment-free space to finally address what's been going on and to build real tools for change.

Who this is for: Teens and adults. (Younger children may be appropriate, contact me to discuss.)

Approaches used: ComB, HRT, ACT

SLEEP DISORDERS

PARENTS COACHING & FAMILY INVOLMENT

When your child has OCD or anxiety, it affects the entire family. Parents often find themselves walking on eggshells, accommodating their child's fears, or not knowing what to say or do. This is completely understandable, and it's also something we can change.

I am trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxiety, OCD, and Related Disorders), an evidence-based program specifically designed to help parents respond to their child's anxiety in ways that reduce it, rather than accidentally reinforcing it.

Parent coaching at Untangled can include:

• SPACE-based parent training (with or without your child in treatment)

• Family sessions alongside individual treatment

• Guidance on how to support exposures at home

• Collaboration with schools and other providers

You are one of the most powerful forces in your child's recovery. I want to make sure you have the tools to help.

Who this is for: Parents of children and teenagers with OCD, anxiety, or related conditions.

Approaches used: SPACE, CBT, ERP

Struggling to fall asleep? Waking up at 3am and lying awake for hours? Dreading bedtime because you know what's coming?

Insomnia is exhausting, and the medications that treat it are often not a long-term solution. CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is the first-line, evidence-based treatment for chronic insomnia recommended by sleep medicine experts, and it works without medication.

CBT-I addresses the thoughts, habits, and patterns that keep insomnia going: racing thoughts at bedtime, spending too long in bed awake, clock-watching, and the anxiety that builds around sleep itself. Treatment is typically short, most clients see significant improvement in 6 to 8 sessions.

Sleep and anxiety are closely linked. Many of my clients come in for OCD or anxiety and are also dealing with disrupted sleep. I treat both together.

Who this is for: Teens and adults with chronic insomnia or sleep difficulties.

Approaches used: CBT-I

Taking the first step is often the hardest part. Reach out. I'd love to hear what's going on.

Flexible session formats — because one size doesn't fit all.

📅 Standard weekly sessions 55-minute individual sessions, once a week. The right fit for most clients working through OCD, anxiety, or BFRBs at a steady pace.

⚡ Intensive sessions Multiple sessions per week, or extended sessions (90 minutes to half-day), designed for clients who need to make progress faster, whether due to severity, time constraints, or a particular treatment goal.

🏠 Home visits For school refusal, severe anxiety, or situations where getting to the office is itself the barrier. I come to you. (Travel fee applies for locations far from the Naperville office.)

📍 In-vivo exposures Sessions that take place in the real world, wherever your anxiety lives. Grocery stores, schools, highways, public spaces, wherever we need to go. (Travel fee applies for locations far from the Naperville office.)

💻 Telehealth Secure video sessions available for clients throughout Illinois and Iowa. Indiana coming soon.

ERP-Trained Therapist · LCSW Licensed in IL & IA · Specializing in OCD & Anxiety Since 2016 · Ages 4+ · In-Person & Telehealth · Multilingual: English & Serbian.

Fees & insurance.

As required by the No Surprises Act, I provide a Good Faith Estimate of the cost of services before your first appointment.

To ask about current fees or to schedule a consultation, call (630) 394-5878 or use the contact form.

What this means for you:

You pay for sessions directly at the time of service. I provide a superbill after each session, a detailed receipt with all the billing codes your insurance needs, which you can submit to your insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement.

Many clients with PPO plans receive partial reimbursement. I recommend calling the member services number on your insurance card and asking about your out-of-network mental health benefits before your first session.

Untangled OCD and Anxiety Specialists is an out-of-network, private-pay practice. I do not bill insurance directly.

Good Faith Estimate:

Adress:

PHONE: +1 630-394-5878

Serving Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Wheaton, Warrenville, Lisle, Woodridge & surrounding suburbs · Telehealth in IL & IA · © 2025 Untangled OCD and Anxiety Specialists

Links:

EMAIL: jelena@untangledocd.com

ADDRESS: 640 South Washington St. Suite 212 Naperville, IL, 60540, United States

LICENSED IN: Illinois & Iowa | Indiana coming soon

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Accessibility

I offer in-person sessions in the Naperville area and telehealth across Illinois and Iowa. If you need a home visit for school refusal, anxiety support, or family coaching, I can do that. If you need intensive sessions, I can do that too.