Living with OCD can feel like being trapped in an exhausting cycle that you know doesn't make sense, you feels incredibly difficult to stop. Unwanted thoughts, images, sensations, and urges can create stress and anxiety leaving you questioning yourself and feeling as though you NEED to do something to make the discomfort and uncertainty go away. For many people, OCD attaches itself to the things they value most in their life such as relationships, family, health, morality, faith, safety, or being a good person which can make it more frightening and personal. 

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You may find yourself thinking, "Why am I having these thoughts?" "What if something terrible happens and it's all my fault?" "What if this means I am a bad person?" You may feel embarrassed or ashamed and begin hiding what you are experiencing from the people you love and are closest too. Some begin to avoid certain places, people, objects, or activities altogether because facing the uncertainty feels too overwhelming.

OCD follows a repetitive cycle. You have an intrusive thought that creates anxiety -> leads to you avoiding something or perform a compulsion -> you experience TEMPORARY relief -> the unwanted thoughts come back -> anxiety returns. This cycle leads you stuck in a constant loop and lead OCD demanding more reassurance, avoiding, certainty, and rituals taking  away your freedom and flexibility you want in your life. 

Our approach to OCD treatment is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in evidence based therapies including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). We move at a thoughtful pace while helping you understand OCD, recognize its patterns, and build confidence in your ability to experience discomfort without immediately trying to avoid or respond to it. 

ERP is considered the gold standard and first-line psychological treatment for OCD. We gradually and intentionally practice facing situations, thoughts, sensations, and uncertainty that trigger OCD while learning not to perform the usual compulsion or avoidance behavior. Through this process, new learning can take place. Your brain begins discovering that an intrusive thought does not automatically mean danger, that anxiety can rise and FALL without performing a ritual. An obsession does not necessarily lead to the feared outcome. Through this process, we can help you weaken the connection between an OCD trigger and the belief that a compulsion is necessary to feeling safe. With ERP, we utilize imaginal, in vivo, and interoceptive exposure strategies to help develop greater tolerance for uncertainty. The goal is not to force anxiety away or convince you that nothing uncomfortable will ever happen, instead its to deliberately confronting the fear and learning to be capable of experiencing anxiety without allowing OCD to dictate what you do next. 

For individuals struggling with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as hair pulling, skin picking, or nail biting, we tailor treatment to the specific patterns driving the behavior. Utilizing the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB), we work collaboratively and intentionally to increase awareness of triggers, develop alternative responses, and build practical individualized strategies to break habits. The goal is to interrupt established patterns and build alternative behavior that does not include hair pulling, skin picking, or nail biting. 

We want to help you become more confident in your ability to respond differently when OCD shows up. Over time, you can learn to tolerate uncertainty, reduce compulsive behaviors, stop constantly seeking reassurance, and make decisions based on your values rather than fear. Most importantly, you do not have to feel ashamed of the thoughts running through your mind. OCD does not define you!

Within a compassionate, caring, and non-judgemental therapeutic relationship, we can help you better understand OCD, challenge the cycle that has kept you stuck, and begin creating more freedom and flexibility in your life. If you are ready to feel less controlled by OCD, contact one of our OCD therapists today to schedule your first appointment. iv