Approach to therapy

Dr. Katherine Bregar has extensive training using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approaches with children, teens, and adults.  She specializes in working with people who struggle with OCD, anxiety, and anxiety related disorders (e.g., hair pulling, tics).  Based on the individual needs of each patient, she routinely uses Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness Therapy.  She is a kind, soft-spoken, culturally sensitive therapist who works collaboratively with each patient to carefully identify treatment goals and to craft individualized treatment plans. Dr. Bregar uses an integrative approach to provide a variety of interventions to meet the patient’s needs. She works with each patient at their own pace to support them in working toward their therapeutic goals.   Her goal is to enlist the patient as an expert and to collaborate with them to gain an understanding of their own symptoms.  She often engages supportive others, parents, and providers in the treatment process as well as she finds that treatment works best when everyone understands the treatment plan and knows how to respond to anxiety and OCD.   

Experience and training

Dr. Bregar earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Francisco. She completed her doctoral internship at the Mind Therapy Clinic in Marin, CA.  Prior to her work at the OCD & Anxiety Center, she worked extensively with children, adolescents, and families in schools. She has years of training in Cognitive Behavioral Approaches for OCD and anxiety disorders. She has completed intensive Exposure and Response Prevention Training through the Cognitive Behavior Institute.  She is a member of the International OCD Foundation and routinely attends conferences and trainings to stay on top of the latest OCD and anxiety treatment findings.

More about Katherine

Dr. Bregar recently relocated to the Chicago suburbs where she has lived for most of her life. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, attending live shows, spending time with furry friends, and playing frisbee golf.