OCD & anxiety therapy · Utah

You deserve a
free mind.

Specialized, evidence-based therapy for OCD and anxiety with John Lewis, CMHC — a counselor who has sat on both sides of this work. By telehealth across Utah.

No pressure and no obligation — just a conversation.

Licensed CMHCUtah
ERP specialistGold-standard OCD treatment
TelehealthSecure video sessions
Free consult15 minutes, no commitment
John Lewis, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

If your mind won't let a thought go, you're in the right place.

OCD and anxiety are loud, convincing, and exhausting — and often invisible to everyone else. Some of this may sound familiar:

Intrusive thoughts that feel sticky, scary, or shameful — and won't leave. Harm, contamination, religious, relationship, and "what if" themes are all common.
Checking, counting, redoing, or repeating things "just to be sure."
Asking for reassurance again and again — and feeling better for only a moment.
Avoiding places, people, or situations that might set off the spiral.
Hours lost to rituals, researching symptoms, or replaying conversations in your head.
A quiet fear that this is simply how life is going to be from now on.

None of this means you're broken. It means your brain has learned a loop — and loops can be unlearned. That is exactly what we work on, together, at your pace.

The approach

Therapy with a map: Exposure & Response Prevention

ERP is the most researched and most effective treatment for OCD, and it helps with anxiety and panic too. It's structured, collaborative, and practical — you'll always know what we're doing and why.

STEP 1

Understand the loop

We map your specific obsessions, triggers, and compulsions — and how the loop keeps itself alive. Naming it clearly is the first relief.

STEP 2

Build your ladder

Together we create a ranked list of practice situations, starting small. You choose every rung — nothing is ever sprung on you.

STEP 3

Let discomfort pass

With support, you face triggers on purpose without doing the ritual — and discover that anxiety rises, crests, and falls on its own.

STEP 4

Reclaim your life

Skills become habits, sessions taper, and you leave as your own therapist — with a plan for the hard days.

You'll never be forced or surprised. Every exposure is chosen together, fully explained, and always within your consent — you set the pace.

Services

One focus, done well.

Individual therapy

One-on-one sessions with a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor who specializes in OCD and anxiety. We use ERP and related evidence-based tools, tailored to your life, your values, and your goals — so you can build a rich, full life that OCD doesn't run.

OCD — all themesAnxietyPanic Scrupulosity & religious OCDHealth anxietyPhobias
What makes this different

As part of working together, I offer brief therapeutic support to help you stay on track with ERP exercises, answer quick treatment questions, and encourage you through difficult moments — included in my fee, no extra charge.

Start with a free consultation

Weekly 60-minute sessions by telehealth, tapering as you get stronger.

Free 15-minute consultation

Before you commit to anything, we talk. You can share what's going on, ask about the approach, availability, and cost, and get a feel for whether we're the right fit. If I'm not the best person to help, I'll point you toward someone who is.

Call 801-870-8306

Prefer email? freedommindtherapy@gmail.com

About John

I became this kind of therapist because I needed one.

John Lewis, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor

My name is John Lewis, and I grew up in Draper, Utah. For years I lived with my own OCD and anxiety — the loops, the doubt, the exhaustion of fighting my own mind. When I finally found the right tools, they changed my life so completely that I decided to spend my career passing them on.

That history shapes how I work. I know what it costs to walk into a therapist's office and say the scary thought out loud, so nothing you bring will shock me and nothing will be met with judgment. I also know, firsthand, that this treatment works.

Away from the office I'm a husband and a dad in a family of four — our youngest daughter arrived in May 2024. You'll usually find me with my family, exercising, hiking somewhere in the mountains, or reading more about mental health than is probably reasonable.

LicenseClinical Mental Health Counselor, licensed in Utah
B.S.Psychology — University of Utah
M.S.Rehabilitation Counseling — Utah State University
CMHCClinical Mental Health Counseling — Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions

From colleagues

Endorsed by the therapists who know his work.

"

John is your go to with needing counsel with life challenges, religious needs and anxiety. He will provide compassion while also providing direct feedback to get you to meet your goals. He is strong with clients of all ages!

Colleen CroffClinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
"

John tells it like it is. He has a great sense of humor and his clients love him! He relates to people with compassion and challenges them at the same time, to move forward from their stuck points that they can live a life that is of value to them.

Kristie JensenClinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW, CCATP
"

I've worked alongside John and have witnessed how incredibly knowledgable, skilled and compassionate he is. I would recommend working with him to anyone seeking out treatment for OCD, anxiety, and trauma.

Kaylee BurnsClinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
"Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear."
— Dale Carnegie

Common questions

Things people ask before reaching out.

Do I need a diagnosis before contacting you?
No. Many people reach out without ever having been formally diagnosed — they just know something is looping and it's getting in the way. Part of our early work together is understanding exactly what's going on.
What happens in the free 15-minute consultation?
We talk by phone or video. You share as much or as little as you'd like about what's happening, and you can ask anything — about ERP, scheduling, cost, or me. There's no obligation, and you don't have to decide anything on the call.
Do you offer telehealth?
Yes. I see clients by secure video across Utah.
Exposure therapy sounds terrifying. Is it?
That worry is completely understandable — and it's the most common one I hear. In practice, ERP is gradual and collaborative. We start with small steps you choose, you're never forced or surprised, and most people are genuinely stunned by how quickly the fear loses its grip once they stop feeding it.
What about fees and insurance?
The consultation is the best place to talk through cost and payment options for your situation — just ask, and you'll get straight answers before you commit to anything.

Ready when you are.

Reaching out is often the hardest exposure of all. It only takes one conversation to start — and the first fifteen minutes are on me.