Howdy! My name is Keaton Soileau and I am a masters level student completing my internship at OCD and Anxiety Treatment of Houston (OATH Therapy) under the supervision of Saharah Shrout LPC-S. I am currently completing my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Houston Baptist University and obtained my B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University.
I completed my practicum at Baylor College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Department in their OCD clinic, while seeing clients in a private practice setting under the supervision of an LPC-S. At Baylor I was able to gain the necessary knowledge and framework for cultivating a greater understanding of OCD, refine my clinical assessment skills, and contribute to research to better understand OCD and comorbid disorders. I additionally worked within a private practice providing therapeutic services under supervision for children with anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Combining my research and clinical experience, my hope is to provide competent and quality treatment for all my clients utilizing an empirical based approach to cultivate a better understanding of the clients self and their OCD and anxiety symptoms.
Prior to my internship at OATH Therapy, I worked as a research assistant (RA) at the Hope and Healing Institute Center (HHCI). Here I contributed to the further understanding of effectiveness and implementation of systematic therapeutic approaches utilizing faith based interventions for the severe mental illness (SMI) population. Additionally, I worked as a volunteer research assistant, accruing over 120 volunteer hours and now conducting clinical assessments as a Research Coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. In both positions, I worked on the Latin American Trans-ancestry INitiative for OCD Genomics (LATINO) project to determine if the participant's OCD symptoms were clinically significant and could be included in the study. This project sparked my interest in OCD and allowed me to gain a better understanding of how OCD manifests itself differently among individuals from all walks of life and cultures and how it can inhibit those with severe OCD if untreated.
Currently, as a research coordinator, I work full-time as a clinical assessor for LATINO, LUNA (Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety) for anxiety among children/adolescents with a primary diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Misophonia which is about understanding misophonia’s development, patient experiences, and impact. Therapists and the various styles we use to treat disorders are like trying on a pair of shoes, before you take off running, you should try them on and walk around first to see what style best fits you so you can get the absolute most out of treatment! The population that I am most interested in is adolescents (13+) and young adults (18-26) exhibiting OCD (all subtypes including existential), anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobia, social anxiety, separation anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia), depression, and cultivating meaning and purpose. The approach I use for clients is the gold standard for treating OCD and anxiety disorders, known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP). CBT/ERP is an empirically supported approach that is effective in treating OCD, anxiety disorders, and various presenting problems, click here to learn more about CBT, and here to learn more about ERP.
When I am not working you would typically find me outside running with my dog or traveling trying to fit in as much as one possibly can in a weekend! I am a coffee enthusiast and love live music!