Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is often deeply misunderstood. Many people think of OCD as simply being “neat,” “organized,” or “particular,” but in reality, OCD can be an incredibly painful and exhausting experience. It often involves intrusive thoughts, intense doubt, fear, shame, hyperresponsibility, and compulsive behaviors or mental rituals aimed at reducing distress or preventing feared outcomes.
OCD also frequently co-exists with eating disorders, experiences related to the perinatal period, and other forms of neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD. Because of the overlap I saw in the clients I work with, I pursued specialized training in OCD treatment to complement my existing work.
My approach to OCD therapy is highly individualized and collaborative. I do not believe OCD treatment is one-size-fits-all. Different people connect with different therapeutic approaches, and I believe therapy works best when it feels aligned with your values, needs, nervous system, and lived experiences.
I aim to create a space where your intrusive thoughts and fears can be explored without judgment or shame. OCD often targets the things we care about most and can leave people feeling terrified that their thoughts say something harmful or immoral about who they are. In reality, intrusive thoughts are part of the human experience, and having a thought does not make you dangerous, bad, or responsible for harm.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD and is highly effective for many people. ERP involves gradually approaching feared thoughts, situations, sensations, or uncertainties while reducing compulsive responses and rituals.
I offer ERP in a collaborative and compassionate way. Together, we explore exposures that align with your values and goals rather than taking a rigid or forceful approach. Therapy should feel supportive, empowering, and sustainable - not punitive.
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) is an approach many people find effective as an alternative or complement to ERP. I-CBT focuses on helping people recognize when they have shifted away from trusting reality, direct sensory information, and present-moment evidence into imagined possibilities, doubt, or “what if” stories created by OCD.
Rather than debating the content of intrusive thoughts, this approach helps people reconnect with their own reasoning, lived experience, and sense of reality.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people change their relationship with intrusive thoughts rather than trying to eliminate them. ACT focuses on building willingness to experience uncertainty, stepping back from obsessive thoughts without over-engaging with them, and making choices guided by personal values instead of fear or compulsions.
This work is often about learning that discomfort, uncertainty, and intrusive thoughts can exist without needing to control, neutralize, or solve them.
I find that OCD so often involves intense self-criticism, hyperresponsibility, and fears about causing harm, being reckless, or being a “bad” person. Developing self-compassion can be an essential part of healing because it directly challenges many of the core fears and beliefs that fuel OCD.
Self-compassion work is not about dismissing accountability or pretending painful emotions do not exist. It is about learning to relate to yourself with greater humanity, flexibility, and care rather than fear and punishment.
Many of the fears and beliefs that show up in OCD do not exist in a vacuum. Systems of oppression such as patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, and purity culture often shape the way people think about morality, responsibility, safety, deservingness, and what it means to be “good” or “bad.”
Exploring these larger systems can help us unpack internalized beliefs about blame, punishment, perfectionism, and fear of causing harm. This work can create more space for nuance, self-trust, and compassion while recognizing the very real impact oppressive systems have on our mental health and nervous systems.
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