Understanding OCD: Compassionate, Evidence-Based Treatment That Works
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a complex, often misunderstood mental health condition. It goes far beyond the stereotypes of handwashing or checking behaviors—OCD can manifest in countless forms, including fears around harm, contamination, morality, relationships, identity, or even intrusive thoughts about harming others that feel deeply distressing and confusing.
Unfortunately, OCD is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked, even by mental health professionals. What may look like generalized anxiety, depression, ADHD, or even psychosis can actually be OCD in disguise. That’s why it’s crucial to work with someone who deeply understands the subtleties and subtypes of OCD and provides the right evidence-based treatments.
Two Proven Paths to Healing: ERP and iCBT
I specialize in two leading, research-supported approaches to treating OCD:
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP is considered the gold standard in OCD treatment. It helps you gradually face the fears that OCD creates—whether those fears are thoughts, images, situations, or sensations—while resisting the urge to perform compulsions or mental rituals. Over time, this reduces OCD’s power and gives you back control of your life.
ERP doesn’t have to be rigid or formulaic—in fact, some of the most effective ERP work is also the most creative and personalized. We work together to design exposures that feel doable, relevant, and grounded in your values.
Inference-Based Cognitive Therapy (iCBT)
iCBT is a newer, evidence-based approach that focuses on how people with OCD come to doubt reality in the first place. Instead of focusing only on behavior, iCBT helps you understand and restructure the thinking patterns that lead to obsessive doubt. It’s especially helpful for “pure O” or intrusive thought-based subtypes, where compulsions may be mostly mental or invisible to others.
Together, ERP and iCBT give us a flexible, powerful toolkit for treating OCD . While there is no cure for OCD, it can be managed well in a way that allows for a full and meaningful life lived according to your own personal values.