Effective OCD therapy to help you reclaim your life
Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, happens when your brain gets ‘stuck’ on unwanted or intrusive thoughts, and compels you to do certain behaviors or rituals over and over. OCD tells you this rituals prevent harm or keep you (or others) safe.
With professional help, you can learn what keeps these rituals ‘stuck’ and you can learn how to stop them. We’ll work together to break this cycle of behavior and develop new habits that do not feed OCD using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and other therapies for a holistic approach with lasting change.
OCD Therapy Services
During OCD therapy, you can expect a structured, supportive process that helps you gradually face your fears and anxieties in a safe environment. I will work with you to create a hierarchy of feared situations or thoughts, starting with less challenging exposures and slowly progressing to more difficult ones. Together, we will practice resisting performing your usual compulsions in response to anxiety, allowing you to learn that your fears do not come true and that your anxiety will lessen over time. This process is known as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy and is evidence-based to reduce OCD symptoms.
Sessions are collaborative, and progress is made at a manageable pace, fostering a sense of accomplishment and empowerment throughout the journey. While ERP can sound daunting at first when we are attached to our compulsions, it can be incredibly empowering once we learn that we do not need to rely on these compulsions to keep us safe.
OCD therapy also includes:
Options for online/virtual therapy or in-person
Narrative therapy and conversation to help you focus on hopes, dreams, values, and intentions that will help enhance and strengthen your handling and management of OCD
Education materials, as needed, to help you learn about OCD
Goals and Outcomes
The goals of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy focus on reducing OCD symptoms and improving daily functioning. By engaging in structured exposures and resisting compulsions, clients can experience lasting relief and develop other ways to manage problems with OCD. OCD therapy can address many different types of obsessions and compulsions, including thoughts about doing harm to others, relationship concerns, scrupulosity or moral concerns, over-responsibility, contamination, perfectionism, sexual thoughts, and more. Compulsions may include repetitive cleaning/washing, checking, mental rituals, arranging & ordering, seeking reassurance, avoidance, and more.
Together in OCD therapy, we will work to:
Reduce anxiety by gradually facing feared situations or thoughts without engaging in compulsive behaviors.
Break the cycle of OCD by challenging the need for compulsions to reduce distress.
Increase tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort, helping clients manage anxiety more effectively.
Build confidence in handling obsessive thoughts without resorting to rituals or avoidance.
Empower you to take control of their OCD and regain independence in daily life.
Long-term symptom relief through the development of healthier coping mechanisms.
Improve overall quality of life by reducing the time and energy spent on obsessions and compulsions.
The OCD therapy process
ERP therapy typically begins with an assessment where we’ll discuss your specific fears, compulsions, and how OCD affects your life. Based on this, we’ll create a personalized treatment plan, including a list of situations or thoughts that trigger your anxiety. This "fear hierarchy" will help guide our sessions, starting with less distressing exposures and gradually working up to more challenging ones.
During each session, we’ll work through exposures together in a structured and supportive way. I’ll guide you as you face these anxiety-provoking situations without engaging in compulsive behaviors. You’ll learn to sit with the discomfort until the anxiety naturally decreases. Over time, you’ll discover that your fears don't come true, and your ability to tolerate anxiety strengthens with each step.
Outside of our sessions, you’ll practice exposures on your own, using the tools and strategies we’ve worked on. This homework is an important part of the process, helping to reinforce the progress you make during therapy. As we move through the hierarchy, you’ll gain more confidence in your ability to manage OCD and experience greater relief from symptoms.
My role in your ERP therapy
As your therapist, my role is to provide guidance, support, and expertise throughout the ERP process. Together, we’ll identify your specific fears and compulsions, create a personalized exposure plan, and ensure that the process feels both safe and effective for you.
I’ll help you challenge your anxiety step by step, offering encouragement and reassurance as you face your fears. I’ll also teach you strategies to manage distress and monitor your progress, adjusting the pace and intensity of the exposures as needed. My goal is to empower you to take control of your OCD and help you feel a sense of mastery over your symptoms.
To get started, schedule a free consultation so that we can talk about what you’d like to work on and what you’re looking for.
I can share more background on my approach and therapy style, and we can chat about logistics and scheduling.