Amber Pilkington, LPC-Supervisor, integrates neuroscience-informed psychotherapy with clinical expertise to support individuals struggling with scrupulosity, anxiety, and trauma.
-- When Anxiety Targets What Matters Most: A Neuroscience-Informed Perspective on Scrupulosity
At first glance, many of Amber Pilkington’s clients appear highly capable and successful—professionals, parents, and individuals who manage the demands of daily life with outward competence. Beneath the surface, however, many quietly struggle with persistent anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and entrenched patterns of fear and shame that significantly affect their well-being.
For individuals experiencing scrupulosity, a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) characterized by intrusive moral or religious fears, this distress is often intensified by misunderstanding and isolation. Because symptoms frequently involve deeply held values, individuals may misinterpret their anxiety as a spiritual failing or moral deficiency rather than a treatable mental health condition. This misinterpretation can heighten shame and delay appropriate support.
Scrupulosity is rarely named but more common than many realize. When left unaddressed, it can interfere with relationships, spiritual life, and overall functioning.
Amber Pilkington, LPC-Supervisor, brings over 15 years of clinical experience to working with individuals facing these challenges. Her approach integrates neuroscience-informed psychotherapy with evidence-based treatment for OCD and trauma, helping clients better understand the underlying mechanisms driving intrusive thoughts and anxiety. Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, her work emphasizes insight, regulation, and sustainable therapeutic change.
The Journey to a Neuroscience-Informed Approach to Therapy
Early in her career, Amber Pilkington observed that many traditional therapy approaches relied heavily on surface-level coping strategies. While often helpful in the short term, these methods did not consistently lead to sustained relief or deeper therapeutic change—particularly for clients who were outwardly high-functioning yet internally overwhelmed.
In response, Amber pursued advanced training in neuropsychotherapy, an approach grounded in contemporary brain-change science. Neuropsychotherapy emphasizes that lasting therapeutic change occurs through shifts in neural pathways, integrating both cognitive (top-down) and somatic (bottom-up) processes.
This framework now serves as the foundation of her clinical work. Through advanced training, including a Certificate in Neuropsychotherapy, Amber integrates evidence-based modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and attachment-based approaches. Her work reflects a holistic understanding of the human person, recognizing the central role of the nervous system in shaping thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
Scrupulosity: A Misunderstood Anxiety Disorder
Scrupulosity illustrates many of the limitations of traditional mental health frameworks when applied without clinical nuance. Often identified as a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), scrupulosity involves persistent intrusive thoughts related to morality or religion, accompanied by compulsive behaviors aimed at achieving certainty or reassurance.
This cycle of anxiety, guilt, and mental exhaustion frequently leaves individuals disconnected from the very values they seek to live by.
Amber conceptualizes scrupulosity not as a failure of character or faith, but as an anxiety disorder rooted in the brain’s threat-detection system.
“Scrupulosity isn’t a sign of weak faith or poor character,” Amber explains. “It’s an anxiety disorder that attaches itself to what matters most to a person.”
For many clients, this reframing reduces shame and creates space for therapeutic work grounded in neuroscience rather than self-blame.
A Compassionate and Science-Based Approach
A defining feature of Amber’s work is the integration of neuroscience-informed treatment with clinical compassion. Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, she helps clients understand how nervous system patterns contribute to anxiety—and how those patterns can gradually be reshaped.
“Meaningful change in therapy involves brain change,” Amber notes. “Whether through learning, emotional processing, or relational experience, therapy works by helping the nervous system learn something new.”
Through interventions that address both mind and body, clients work toward experiencing increased regulation and safety. Over time, this allows values, relationships, and meaning to re-emerge in ways that are psychologically sustainable and respectful of individual identity.
Educational Mission: The Catholic Counseling Institute
In addition to her clinical practice, Amber is the founder of the Catholic Counseling Institute, an educational platform providing faith-integrated psychoeducation on mental health.
The Institute offers resources for Catholics seeking a scientifically grounded understanding of anxiety, scrupulosity, and emotional health within a theological framework. Programs such as Freedom From Scrupulosity & Intrusive Thoughts: A Catholic Educational Approach integrate neuroscience and Catholic moral theology while remaining firmly educational in scope.
These offerings are designed to complement—not replace—professional mental health treatment.
While Amber’s counseling practice remains clinically grounded and secular, her educational work provides a thoughtful space where psychology and theology intersect ethically and responsibly.
A Commitment to Healing and Client Dignity
At the heart of Amber Pilkington’s work is a commitment to the dignity of the human person.
“Effective therapy isn’t about erasing thoughts or fixing people,” she says. “It’s about helping the brain and body experience safety again so values, relationships, and meaning can come back online.”
For individuals burdened by anxiety, guilt, and shame, her neuroscience-informed approach offers clarity, hope, and a grounded path forward—one rooted in understanding how the nervous system adapts and heals.
Learn more at Amber Pilkington, LPC-S, visit the Catholic Counseling Institute, or explore the educational course Freedom From Scrupulosity & Intrusive Thoughts.
Professional Recognition
In 2026, Amber Pilkington was recognized by the Evergreen Awards as Best Anxiety & OCD Therapist – Scrupulosity Specialist (U.S.). This recognition reflects her specialized clinical focus, commitment to evidence-based practice, and contributions to increasing understanding of scrupulosity as a misunderstood anxiety disorder.
The award acknowledges her integration of neuroscience-informed psychotherapy with compassionate clinical care, as well as her educational efforts to improve access to accurate mental health information.
About Amber Pilkington
Amber Pilkington is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor (LPC-S) with over 15 years of clinical experience. She specializes in working with scrupulosity, anxiety, and trauma using a neuroscience-informed, evidence-based approach. She is the founder of the Catholic Counseling Institute, where she provides educational resources integrating mental health science and faith-informed reflection.
Media Contact
Amber Pilkington, LPC-S
Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor
Email: amber@therapysecure.com
Website: www.amberpilkingtonlpc.com
www.catholiccounselinginstitute.com
Instagram: @catholiccounselinginstitute
Facebook: Catholic Counseling Institute
YouTube: Catholic Counseling Institute
Contact Info:
Name: Amber N. Pilkington
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Website: https://amberpilkingtonlpc.com/
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