OCD Treatment

What is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is made up of intrusive thoughts, or obsessions, that cause anxiety. The person then engages in behaviors or thoughts to reduce the anxiety, called compulsions.

Effective treatment of OCD involves a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP).  This treatment will train you to gradually face the situations and thoughts that provoke your OCD while learning how not to respond with rituals, compulsions, reassurance seeking or avoidance. 

What does OCD treatment look like? 

During your initial session, an assessment will be conducted to determine the severity of your OCD and the specific obsessions and compulsions you may have to tailor treatment to your specific needs. An "Exposure Hierarchy" will be created together to guide treatment with different exposures to challenge your OCD. Each session will be used to accomplish these exposures and learn the appropriate ways to manage the intrusive thoughts and control the compulsions in your daily life.

Treatment Options

How impairing your OCD is to your daily functioning will determine the frequency of appointments. Typically, clients will begin with one to two appointments per week and increase or decrease as necessary. In cases of significant impairment, you can participate in Intensive Outpatient appointments which consist of longer appointments for three to four sessions per week.