Therapy for OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood. It’s not about being tidy, organized, or particular. OCD is a nervous system condition rooted in fear, doubt, and a deep need for certainty or safety. Many people with OCD are highly self-aware, thoughtful, and capable—and still feel stuck in exhausting mental loops they can’t logic their way out of.

I work with OCD in a way that is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based treatment, while also honoring the emotional and relational context in which OCD developed.

How OCD Often Shows Up

OCD tends to follow a predictable cycle:

  1. An intrusive thought, image, sensation, or urge that feels alarming, wrong, or dangerous

  2. Anxiety, fear, guilt, or disgust that spikes in response

  3. Compulsions—mental or behavioral actions meant to get relief, reassurance, or certainty

  4. Temporary relief, followed by the thought returning stronger or more convincing

Over time, this cycle trains the brain to treat uncertainty as a threat.

OCD can show up in many forms, including but not limited to:

  • Excessive doubt and checking

  • Fear of harming others or yourself (despite no desire to do so)

  • Intrusive sexual, religious, or taboo thoughts

  • Contamination fears or health-related obsessions

  • Mental compulsions like rumination, reviewing, or neutralizing thoughts

  • Reassurance-seeking from others or internally

  • A constant sense of "what if" or needing to be 100% sure

Many people with OCD describe feeling trapped in their own mind—constantly monitoring thoughts, emotions, or sensations and trying to make them go away.

Treatment Options for OCD

OCD is highly treatable, especially with the right approach.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

ERP is considered the gold-standard treatment for OCD. It involves:

  • Gradually and intentionally facing feared thoughts, images, sensations, or situations

  • Resisting compulsions and reassurance behaviors

  • Allowing anxiety and uncertainty to rise and fall on their own

Over time, this retrains the brain to learn that uncertainty is tolerable and not dangerous—and that compulsions are not necessary for safety.

ERP is not about forcing or flooding. Done well, it is paced, collaborative, and respectful of your nervous system.

Integrating Trauma-Informed and Attachment-Aware Work

For many people, OCD does not exist in a vacuum. Perfectionism, hyper-responsibility, fear of making mistakes, or intolerance of uncertainty often have roots in early attachment experiences, chronic stress, or trauma.

In these cases, ERP can be combined with:

  • Trauma-informed care

  • Somatic awareness and nervous system regulation

  • EMDR or parts-based work (when appropriate)

  • Addressing shame, self-criticism, and relational patterns

This integrated approach helps ensure treatment doesn’t feel cold, mechanical, or invalidating.

Medication (When Helpful)

Some clients choose to use medication alongside therapy, particularly SSRIs. Medication can reduce symptom intensity and make therapy more accessible, but it is not required for progress. If desired, I can collaborate with prescribing providers.

The Goals of OCD Therapy

The goal of OCD therapy is not to eliminate intrusive thoughts.

Everyone has unwanted thoughts—the difference with OCD is how much power and meaning those thoughts are given.

Instead, therapy focuses on helping you:

  • Build tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort

  • Reduce compulsive behaviors and mental rituals

  • Change your relationship with intrusive thoughts

  • Trust yourself and your values rather than OCD’s rules

  • Live a fuller life without constant monitoring or reassurance

Progress often looks like caring less about the thoughts—not because they’re gone, but because they no longer run the show.

What It’s Like to Work With Me on OCD

I take a collaborative, non-shaming approach to OCD treatment. We move at a pace that is challenging but sustainable. I won’t ask you to do anything without understanding the “why,” and we’ll make room for both skill-building and emotional processing.

If you’re exhausted from fighting your thoughts—or worried about what they might mean—therapy can help you step out of the cycle and get your life back.

You don’t need to be more disciplined, logical, or strong-willed. You need the right support.

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