The first step of treatment with me is going to be an initial consultation, where we talk to each other on the phone to figure out what’s been going on and why you’re seeking services. This is a birds-eye view, so we won’t get deep into the details.

 

After your consultation, we’ll have what’s commonly called an “intake session.” This is essentially a long interview, sometimes almost an hour long, where I learn a lot about you. We’ll talk about your background, your childhood, what things have been like for you recently, what symptoms you’re experiencing, how you’re sleeping, what you’ve tried before, and more. This is a crucial step in understanding you as a complete person, which is important to me - I don’t see you as just a diagnosis, and I don’t want to put you into a box. This also lets me see what else is going on - like Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Suicidal Thoughts, or something else - and whether that needs to be part of our treatment plan as well.

 

If you’re experiencing symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), I’ll assign that diagnosis and get to work. That’s when we shift into the treatment phase.

 

The primary treatment that I use for OCD is called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, which is a specialized treatment that has an excellent track record for OCD. ERP involves figuring out the entire scope of your OCD - what your obsessions are, what your compulsions are, what your fears are, and what your avoidances are - and building it into a broader framework to understand your condition. From there, we’ll make a determination of what we should tackle first. Typically, I prefer to focus on the areas that are causing you the most distress or are disrupting your life the most. However, if I think that there’s something else that needs to be addressed first, we’ll talk about that.

 

ERP is one of those treatments that can be hard to implement if the clinician isn’t trained well. Fortunately, I had excellent training and supervision in OCD treatment, and I’ve made treating this condition a core focus of my clinical practice. I’ve become familiar with the nuances of OCD, and know how to carefully target each component of OCD using ERP and other related treatments.

 

During your ERP treatment we’ll usually meet once per week for about 50 minutes, though I also have clients I see more frequently than that. Your responsibility will be to show up to appointments and to complete homework tasks between appointments; my responsibility is to keep track of what’s going on, give you insight into where to focus your effort, help you figure out how to tackle each symptom cluster, and ensure we are making steady progress towards your goals for therapy.

 

At a certain point, if treatment is successful, you’ll notice that your symptoms are becoming much more manageable. That’s the point at which we’ll probably jointly decide to reduce the frequency of how often you’re coming to appointments - maybe moving from weekly to just every other week, or even less often. As time goes on, you may find that you only need to see me for “check-up” appointments once every month or two, or even less frequently. Sometimes, my clients will “graduate” out of therapy completely, which is always an exciting moment for us both.

 

Regardless of the timetable, I’m always accessible to my current and former clients via phone or email. You’re never alone!

 

Why I enjoy treating OCD

 

OCD is one of the more challenging disorders to treat due to the sheer amount of distress that it causes the person, the complexity of the symptom clusters, and its general persistence. That being said, I’ve found that I really enjoy the challenge of treating OCD, and I’ve found it to be incredibly rewarding to watch clients gradually take back control of their lives. If you’re someone living with OCD, you’re probably used to how much OCD tends to run your life - the things you avoid, the actions you do, and the ways that your thoughts can swirl around you exhaustingly. I get so much joy out of seeing my clients improve and make progress, it’s one of my favorite things as a psychologist.

 

Plus, OCD therapy is so different from most other types of therapy. I usually do the exposures necessary for treatment along with my clients, which means that I’ve become comfortable doing very uncomfortable things. But I’d never ask you to do something that I’m not willing to do myself, so we’ll step outside of our comfort zones together!

 

"What if I’m experiencing OCD and something else? Which gets treated first?"

 

This is the classic push and pull of clinical psychology, and we have to stay flexible throughout the treatment. Generally, I try to treat whatever is causing you the most distress first. For OCD clients, that’s typically the OCD (even if other things, like depression, are happening). However, that being said, there are certain conditions that require attention at the front as well. For example, suicidal thoughts will require our focus, at least partially, to ensure that you stay alive long enough to make progress on your OCD. Similarly, insomnia can make OCD symptoms worse, and insomnia responds so well to treatment that it’s wise to give that a lot of attention at the beginning.

 

So which comes first? It comes down to my clinical judgement based on the severity of your symptoms, the interactions of what’s going on, and everything else happening in your life. The benefit of working with a clinical psychologist is that making these decisions was a core part of my clinical training.

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Frequently Asked Questions about OCD and OCD Therapy

 

"How long does OCD therapy last for?"

 

“As long as it needs to” is the easy answer. But to give you a better idea, I’d say that half of my OCD clients work with me for 10-12 sessions, and half of them are with me for more than 20 sessions. My aim is to work with you for as long as it takes for you to achieve your treatment goals, but it can be hard to predict how many sessions that will take. One thing I can guarantee you, though, is that I won’t waste your time.

 

"Is it true that OCD can never be cured?"

 

I hear this often, and answering it is a little tricky, so I figured I’d just be straight up and honest here: it depends on what you mean by “cured.” If you think of being “cured” as meaning you’ll never experience a thought related to your obsessions or compulsions again, I’m not sure I can guarantee that. I’ve heard of some people experiencing that, but I’m skeptical. However, if you think of “cured” as meaning you’ll no longer be distressed by a thought related to your obsessions or compulsions, I think we can get there together.

 

To illustrate what I mean, let’s pretend you have OCD related to germs and contamination. If you think that being “cured” of this sort of OCD involves never again thinking about germs, then no, I don’t think that’s possible. I think about germs and I don’t have OCD! But if you think that being “cured” of this sort of OCD involves no longer being distressed by germs - meaning, you notice that something like a door handle might have germs on it, but you touch the door handle anyway and go about your day without giving it too much real estate in your mind - then I think that’s a very realistic goal to reach for.

 

"Are there different types of OCD?"

 

Yes there are actually, and this is why it’s so important to work with a psychologist who is specialized in OCD. Some types of OCD - like the germs and contamination example I gave above - are more easily recognized by clinicians. But then there are other types of OCD that are harder to recognize, but just as distressing. Types like Staring OCD, Relationship OCD, Harm OCD, Sexual OCD, Just-Right OCD, Checking OCD, Counting OCD, Scrupulosity (Religious OCD), “Pure-O” OCD, Health OCD, Magical Thinking OCD, Superstitious OCD, Existential OCD, False Memory OCD, Moral OCD, Social OCD, and more are all “types” of OCD that can confused clinicians who don't specialize in OCD. While a version of ERP is a useful treatment for all of these OCD types, knowing how to implement the treatment and what to look out for takes great care.

 

"Are there certain medicines or vitamins that help with OCD?"

 

Absolutely, you can check out a blog post of mine about medications here or about vitamins here to learn more about that.

 

"Do you prescribe medications for OCD?"

 

I don’t, as I’m not a psychiatrist, but I can coordinate care with your psychiatrist if you’d like. If you don’t have a psychiatrist, but are interested in medications, let’s talk about it - I can usually make a referral for you.

 

"Do you do “flooding” when treating OCD?"

 

No, I don’t like to do this. If you’re wondering, “flooding” is where we identify the absolute worst fear associated with your OCD, and then confront you with that and hold you in that discomfort until you’re forced to push through it. This seemingly was the typical way of treating OCD, but relatively recent research has found that “flooding” is not necessary for OCD treatment to be successful. Since flooding is really uncomfortable for clients - oftentimes extremely distressing - I’d prefer to not subject my clients to that. Let’s work on getting you better without flooding!

 

"How do I start an OCD treatment with you?"

 

If you’re ready to work with me on your OCD, I’d be honored to work with you. Just text or call me at 205-797-1897 or email me at info@NorthStarPsyc.com to get started. We’ll find a time to have a quick consultation call, and from there (if we’re a good fit) I’ll schedule your first intake appointment.

 

I hope to work with you soon!