Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is a unique condition in which a person experiences recurrent obsessions and/or compulsions that consume significant time and interfere with daily life. Most people with OCD recognize, at least at times, that their fears are excessive or unlikely — and that recognition often adds to the frustration and shame of feeling stuck in the cycle anyway.

While completing a compulsion, ritual, or reassurance-seeking behavior can bring short-term relief from an obsession, it inadvertently teaches the brain that the obsession was dangerous and needed to be neutralized. Over time, this reinforces the OCD cycle rather than resolving it, requiring more and more ritual to achieve the same temporary relief.

OCD can attach itself to nearly any theme, and it often looks different from person to person. Some of the most common patterns we treat include:

• Contamination fears — worry about germs, illness, or "dirtiness," often paired with excessive washing or cleaning rituals
• Checking — repeatedly checking locks, appliances, or one's own actions to prevent a feared catastrophe
• Symmetry and order — a need for things to feel "just right," evenly arranged, or done a specific number of times
• Intrusive or taboo thoughts — unwanted, distressing thoughts of an aggressive, sexual, or blasphemous nature that conflict sharply with a person's actual values
• Harm OCD — fear of losing control and causing harm to oneself or others, despite having no desire to do so
• Relationship OCD (ROCD) — persistent doubt and mental review about whether a relationship or partner is "right"
• Mental compulsions — silent rituals like counting, praying, replaying events, or mentally "checking" for reassurance

If any of these sound familiar, it doesn't mean something is wrong with who you are — it means your brain's alarm system has become stuck in a loop that treatment can help interrupt.

Researchers have consistently found the most effective treatment for OCD to be a specific form of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP.

The exposure component involves gradually and strategically facing the situations, thoughts, or images that trigger obsessions — starting with what feels manageable and building toward what feels most difficult, at a pace we determine together.

The response prevention component involves resisting the urge to perform the usual compulsion, ritual, or reassurance-seeking behavior in response to that distress.

In place of the old compulsive response, we work together to build and practice more effective strategies — including mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and attentional refocusing — so you can grow tolerance for uncomfortable thoughts and feelings without needing to neutralize them, freeing up the time and energy OCD has been taking from your life.

ERP is a proactive, collaborative form of therapy. Early sessions focus on understanding your goals, values, and the specific cycle that maintains your OCD. From here we build a personalized hierarchy of triggers, from least to most distressing and progress through exposures together at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm you. In addition, we will implement practice exercises between sessions to reinforce progress and help build your confidence, comfort and familiarity with life without OCD.