Article: My Secret Life as a Skin Picker

One of the problems I specialize in working with is repetitive skin picking (also known as excoriation or dermatillomania). People struggling with this problem experience intense urges to pick at blemishes or perceived imperfections in their skin. They may spend a few minutes to several hours (e.g., 8 hours or more) picking at many places … Read more

Huffington Post Article on Hair Pulling and Skin Picking

One of my specialties is working with people who struggle with repetitive hair pulling (called trichotillomania) and/or skin picking (called dermatillomania or excoriation). Individuals with these conditions often do damage to their appearance. In the case of hair pulling, some people pull enough to create thinning in their hair and sometimes bald patches. They may … Read more

Hair Pulling (AKA Trichotillomania) and Skin Picking Problems – Greater Research Support for Behavior Therapy over Medication

Trichotillomania (or trich for short) is a condition in which people repeatedly pull out their body hair, often leading to bald patches and thinning. The scalp is a common site—as are eyebrows and eyelashes—but some may pick at hair anywhere on the body. A related condition is repetitive skin picking. This condition did not have … Read more

Problems with Pulling Your Hair or Picking at Your Skin?—Try a Little TLC

Have you ever heard of trichotillomania or the wonderful organization called the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC)? See below to learn more. What’s Trichotillomania? Trichotillomania—or “trich” for short—is a problem that’s a little obscure even for professionals, but it impacts a lot of people. People with trich pull at their hair so often that it causes … Read more

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Portland Psychotherapy is a clinic, research & training center with a unique business model that funds scientific research. This results in a team of therapists who are exceptionally well-trained and knowledgeable about their areas of specialty.