Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common mental health disorder in which people experience unwanted thoughts, sensations, and mental images (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors and/or thinking patterns (compulsions). Everyone has conflicting thoughts, however, a person with OCD has a brain that is wired differently! A person with OCD latches onto certain thoughts uncontrollably which results in obsessions and compulsions. For a person that does not perform action oriented compulsions, Pure Obsession OCD is when compulsions are purely performed through the way you mentally respond to obsessions. For example, replacing a bad thought with a positive thought or spending hours ruminating. The cycle of obsessions and compulsions triggers intense distress and can impact a person’s relationships, career, family, and activities that bring joy and meaning in life. A very difficult aspect of OCD is when obsessions are in conflict with a person’s wishes and value system, however, OCD themes often attach to things that a person holds most dear. This creates immense conflict for the person suffering, who can experience obsessive, dystonic themes such as: harm, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, pedophilia, relationships and dating, “just right,” existentialism, religion, false memory, magical thinking, and contamination.

For the treatment of OCD, we have clinicians trained in identifying and diagnosing obsessions and compulsions and supporting a client with the gold standard treatment which is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Our goal is for you to feel less isolated in your obsessions and learn how to tolerate them by reducing compulsions through exposures. We sincerely care about our patients with OCD and know how disorienting this disorder can be. We offer couple sessions for OCD if you are interested in support during recovery. Don’t lose hope, healing is possible and we are here to support you on your journey!