OCD Therapy
Does Your OCD Keep You From Making Progress?
Have irrational fears and obsessions been holding you back in life? Do you engage in repetitive behaviors—like counting, excessive cleaning, or repeatedly washing your hands—in order to get over intrusive thoughts? Are you in need of constant reassurance because you struggle with crippling and excessive self-judgment?
If you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), you may obsessively worry about what others think of you, causing you to avoid social activities. Perhaps you struggle with perfectionism and spiral down when one little thing goes wrong. And when you have an intrusive thought, it may feel so abrasive to your core beliefs that your mind activates a fight, flight, or freeze response.
OCD Can Take A Toll On Your Mind And Body
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can originate at any age. Maybe you were diagnosed as a child, or perhaps you’ve started experiencing symptoms as an adult. The effects that OCD has could also be connected to anxiety disorders, trauma, or depression you may be experiencing.
The stress caused by OCD might lead you to experience physical symptoms like shortness of breath, muscle tension, panic attacks, and general fatigue. It can often feel like the only way to calm your symptoms and halt your intrusive thoughts is to engage in repetitive and ritualistic behaviors.
While you might know that the intrusive thoughts you experience are irrational, they probably still hold you back from achieving your goals. And depending on the severity of your behaviors and compulsions, they can really limit your overall quality of life.
The obsessive patterns of OCD can alter your mindset and lead you to believe that if you don’t give in, then the intrusive thoughts will return. Thankfully, treatment makes true healing possible and can help you evoke real change that will help you overcome your OCD symptoms.
More People Are Dealing With OCD Than We May Realize
About two percent of the U.S. population (approximately 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children) have been diagnosed with some sort of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. ¹ And while it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, both genetics and environmental factors can play significant roles in contributing to the onset of OCD.
OCD can lead to a variety of other problems as well—including increased anxiety and prolonged depression. Those who experience fixations and compulsions tend to engage in system accommodation, or the act of changing their routine or engaging in compulsive behaviors to avoid the intrusive thoughts or anxious feelings.
The People Around You May Be Enabling Your Symptoms Unknowingly
In many cases, your loved ones might aid in this system accommodation and support your habits and routine because they think it’s helpful. They may think they’re appeasing your needs, but in reality, their actions act as a crutch for your anxiety to grow.
Maybe they use extra sanitation methods in case the cleanliness of the setting isn’t up to your standards or protect you so that you don’t get into situations that make you socially uncomfortable. While these actions show that they care for you, being in uncomfortable situations also helps your development, and avoiding them outright can hold you back from progressing.
Therapy gives you the opportunity to work through your Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in a safe, confidential, and supportive environment. In counseling, we will work together to figure out a treatment plan that will equip you with the tools and techniques you’ll need to manage your OCD and make progress in your life.
Counseling Can Help You Manage Your OCD
You are the expert of your own life, and nobody knows you better than you know yourself. That’s why my aim as your therapist is to provide you with the proper knowledge to understand OCD so that you can implement the skills to regulate your symptoms.
After completing the intake form, your initial session will consist of an evaluation. We will gather information so that I can better understand what you’re experiencing and how I can best assist with your issues. I like to get to know you as an individual, learning how you think and responding to different questions and situations.
From there, we will work together to determine which treatment methods would work best for you. I use a wide range of empirically proven techniques to help you establish short-term goals (for effectively managing your symptoms in the here-and-now) and long-term goals (for developing and growing as an individual).
Psychoeducation is a significant part of my practice, as I firmly believe in the power of knowledge. Once you have a proper awareness of the issues you are facing, the skills that you will learn to manage your OCD should become easier to implement outside of therapy.
In certain cases, we can also use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as part of your OCD treatment plan. CBT challenges your intrusive thoughts and compares them to reality, giving you a clearer perspective on how accurate your thoughts really are. DBT will give you the skills needed to manage your emotions and react more logically to your fears. This way, your actions can reflect the response you truly want.
No matter who you are or where you find yourself, I am confident in our ability to progress against your OCD with therapy. Since I’ve been in practice, I’ve seen many of my clients flourish and move forward in ways that they never previously thought possible. The proper help can go a long way, and the newfound confidence that counseling provides can put you on the right track towards true and sustained relief from your Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
You May Be Interested In OCD Therapy, But Still Have Some Concerns…
Getting a counselor for my OCD will be too time-consuming and expensive.
Therapy should be viewed as an investment that has the opportunity to pay off in positive ways for years to come. I understand that everyone’s financial situation is different, so I use a sliding scale and accept a variety of insurance providers. That way, you’re provided with the flexibility needed to put your worry aside and focus on what matters most—you.
My friends and family will treat me differently if they learn that I’m seeking treatment for OCD.
Being worried about how others will treat you is a cause for legitimate concern. But if your friends and family really care about your well-being, they should encourage you to get the support you need in order to thrive.
Therapy is a safe space for you to speak freely without the fear of being judged by anyone. Anything that you tell me is confidential. The only people who need to know that you’re seeking counseling for your OCD are the individuals you decide to tell.
If we discuss my intrusive thoughts in therapy, I’m afraid you’ll have me committed to an inpatient facility.
I want to work alongside you to help you overcome your problems—not create more. I wouldn’t send you to an inpatient facility for intrusive thoughts. And I understand how to help those suffering from OCD because I’ve been helping my patients make progress in their lives for years.
OCD Therapy Can Help You Overcome Your Fears And Get Your Life Back On Track
Asking for help from a therapist is a major step in overcoming OCD. If you’re ready to learn how to work through your fears, worries, and intrusive thoughts, then I encourage you to reach out.
To schedule your initial session, please visit my contact page or call (607)–287–0058. I look forward to speaking with you!
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