Founder
Alie Bernard Garza, LCSW, is a clinical specialist with extensive expertise in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, and complex comorbid presentations in adolescents and young adults. She is the founder of OCD & Anxiety Colorado and is recognized nationally for her neurodivergent-affirming, evidence-based, and family-centered approach to care. Alie earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Washington in Seattle and brings a unique blend of clinical training, program development experience, and lived perspective to her work.
Her background spans the full continuum of care—including outpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), partial hospitalization (PHP), residential, inpatient, and community-based treatment settings. Alie has held clinical and leadership roles at premier programs including the Portland Anxiety Clinic, the OCD Institute Texas (formerly the McLean OCD Institute Houston), and the University of Colorado Anschutz OCD Program. In these roles, she has developed and delivered care for adolescents and families facing complex, treatment-resistant OCD and anxiety, with an emphasis on individualized treatment planning, team-based collaboration, and clinical integrity.
Alie is trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), and integrates family systems theory, trauma-informed care, and developmental psychology into her work. She has particular expertise in supporting ADHD and Autistic youth, as well as individuals navigating religious trauma and spiritual abuse, chronic illness, medical complexity, school refusal and avoidance, identity-based stress, and suicide risk. A strong advocate for caregivers, Alie works closely with parents to navigate the mental health system, advocate for their child’s needs, and feel empowered in their role—especially during times of crisis, transition, or prolonged uncertainty. She is deeply committed to destigmatizing taboo or misunderstood OCD themes, and helping families build confidence in the face of fear.
Her therapeutic approach is relational, collaborative, creative, and clear. While living in Portland, Oregon, Alie and her husband served as foster parents to teens, an experience that further deepened her understanding of trauma, resilience, systemic barriers, and the urgent need for accessible, compassionate care. She is especially known for her steady presence during high-acuity care transitions and for helping families move from chaos to clarity with respect, honesty, and hope.
In addition to her clinical work, Alie is an active Advocate with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). She has presented at the IOCDF Annual Conference, and has been featured by platforms including NOCD, Made of Millions, and AnxietyTech. Her speaking and writing focus on treatment access, family-centered care, neurodivergent-affirming practice, and reducing stigma around complex and misunderstood presentations of OCD. Alie’s advocacy is informed not only by professional experience, but by lived experience: she spent more than 15 years misdiagnosed and untreated for OCD, a journey that continues to shape her clinical insight, empathy, and determination to expand access to effective, affirming care.
Raised in Boulder County, Colorado, Alie pairs local insight with national-level expertise. Through her clinical practice, teaching, and advocacy, she is dedicated to helping individuals and families reclaim their lives from the grip of OCD and anxiety—and to building a more inclusive, equitable, and responsive mental health system for all.
OCD and Anxiety Colorado is founded by Alie Bernard Garza, LCSW, a Denver-based Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in OCD and anxiety-related disorders. Inspired by her own lived experience with severe OCD, health anxiety, panic disorder, and ADHD, Alie has transformed her journey from struggling with non-evidence-based treatments to thriving through Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. She now dedicates her career to helping others navigate OCD and anxiety.
OCD and Anxiety Colorado aims to provide safe, accessible, and transparent care through groups, retreats, workshops, and consultations. Alie also offers training for providers and organizations to support individuals with OCD, anxiety disorders, and co-occurring conditions like autism and ADHD. Additionally, she advocates for suicide prevention, youth mental health, family support, and LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent-affirming care.