You’re Not “Just Being Dramatic.” OCD Hijacks Your Life.
You’ve probably tried to convince yourself it’s nothing, that your thoughts are irrational, and that you should just let them go. But your brain doesn’t cooperate. That’s the frustrating part of OCD: it traps you in endless loops. Thoughts spiral, anxiety intensifies, and soon you’re caught in rituals, desperate for even a brief moment of calm. You’re not broken, and you’re far from alone. We understand, and we’re here to help you break free from this cycle.
We Respect Your Time, Energy, and Intelligence
We Use Treatments That Actually Work for OCD
It’s important to understand that not all anxiety treatments are effective for OCD. We specialize in evidence-based approaches specifically designed for OCD, like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These aren’t just generic techniques; they’re targeted interventions that directly address how OCD operates in your brain.
We Go at Your Pace, Not OCD’s
OCD constantly pushes you to act right now to make the anxiety stop. But effective treatment teaches you that you can handle uncertainty and discomfort without immediately trying to make them disappear. We work systematically, helping you build your tolerance gradually so you’re never overwhelmed.
We Don’t Judge Your Thoughts or Rituals
Whatever your obsessions are about—whether it’s contamination, harm, morality, relationships, perfectionism, or something else entirely—we’ve worked with it before. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about your thoughts or ashamed of your compulsions. This is simply what OCD does, and it’s not a reflection of who you are as a person.We Truly Get What You’re Up Against
Forget the common misconceptions about OCD, like just wanting things tidy or being a “germaphobe.” We know that OCD is about relentless, intrusive thoughts that feel threatening, urgent, and impossible to escape. And the compulsions? They offer temporary relief, sure, but they also fuel the whole cycle, making it even stronger.
OCD Feels Like Obsessions, Compulsions, and the Fight for Control
Obsessions (The Thoughts That Won’t Stop)
- Contamination fears (germs, chemicals, bodily fluids)
- Fear of harming yourself or others, even when you’d never want to
- Religious or moral obsessions about being a bad person
- Need for things to be “just right” or perfectly symmetrical
- Relationship obsessions (Do I really love my partner? Are they right for me?)
- Sexual orientation or identity obsessions
- Existential or philosophical rumination that goes nowhere
Compulsions (The Things You Do to Make the Anxiety Stop)
- Checking (locks, appliances, that you didn’t hit someone while driving)
- Washing or cleaning rituals
- Counting, repeating, or doing things a certain number of times
- Mental rituals like prayer, reviewing, or trying to figure things out
- Seeking reassurance from others or from Google
- Arranging or organizing things in specific ways
- Avoiding situations that trigger obsessions
The Hidden Impact
- Hours lost each day to rituals and mental compulsions
- Avoiding places, people, or situations that trigger obsessions
- Exhaustion from fighting your own brain all day
- Feeling like you’re living a double life
- Difficulty concentrating on work, school, or relationships
How We Help You Outsmart OCD and Take Back Your Life
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP is considered the most effective treatment for OCD. It’s about gradually facing the situations or thoughts that trigger your obsessions, while also learning to resist the urge to do your compulsions. Now, this might sound intimidating, but it’s definitely not about “torture.” Instead, we systematically train your brain to realize that you can handle uncertainty and discomfort without needing to rely on rituals. Think of it as teaching your brain new, healthier ways to respond.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Sometimes, the real struggle isn’t the intrusive thoughts themselves, but how much you fight against them. ACT helps you shift your relationship with these thoughts. It’s about accepting that everyone has weird, unwanted thoughts – they’re just a normal part of being human. At the same time, we’ll help you commit to actions that align with what truly matters to you in life, even when those thoughts are present.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for OCD
With CBT for OCD, we’ll work together to pinpoint the specific thinking patterns that are fueling your OCD. This might include beliefs about inflated responsibility or catastrophic thinking. Once we identify these patterns, we’ll develop more flexible and helpful ways for you to respond to those intrusive thoughts, helping you challenge OCD’s grip on your mind.
Mindfulness-Based Approaches
Mindfulness teaches you skills to observe your thoughts without getting caught up in them. This isn’t about trying to achieve some perfect “zen” state. Instead, it’s about creating a little bit of distance between you and your OCD, so you have more freedom and choice in how you respond to your thoughts and urges.
Family and Relationship Work
OCD often impacts the entire family. We can work with your loved ones to help them understand OCD and how to best support your recovery. This means learning how to avoid accidentally enabling compulsions or getting pulled into your OCD patterns, ensuring everyone is on the same page for your journey to wellness.
What Happens After You Reach Out
Assessment and Education (Sessions 1-2)
We conduct a thorough assessment of your specific obsessions and compulsions, understand how OCD shows up in your daily life, and educate you about how OCD works in the brain. Knowledge is power when fighting OCD.
Building Your Toolkit (Sessions 3-6)
Before we start exposure work, we make sure you have skills for managing anxiety and uncomfortable feelings. This includes distress tolerance techniques, mindfulness skills, and strategies for riding out urges to do compulsions.
Systematic Exposure Work (Sessions 6-20+)
This is where the real work happens. We create a hierarchy of your triggers, starting with easier exposures and gradually working up to more challenging ones. You learn that you can handle the anxiety without doing compulsions, and your brain slowly learns that the feared consequences don’t actually happen.
Relapse Prevention and Maintenance (Ongoing)
OCD can try to sneak back in during stressful times or in new areas of your life. We help you recognize early warning signs, maintain your gains, and apply your skills to new situations that arise.
The Questions You're Probably Asking Yourself
“Will you make me touch dirty things or do scary exposures right away?”
Absolutely not. ERP is systematic and gradual. We start with exposures that create some anxiety but aren’t overwhelming, and we work up slowly. You’re always in control of the pace, and we never surprise you with exposures.
“What if my obsessions are really weird or disturbing?”
We’ve heard it all, and nothing you tell us will shock or concern us. Intrusive thoughts can be about anything—violence, sex, religion, morality. Having these thoughts doesn’t mean anything about who you are as a person. They’re symptoms, not character flaws.
“How do I know if this is really OCD or if I’m just anxious?”
OCD has a specific pattern: intrusive thoughts that cause distress, followed by compulsions (mental or physical) that temporarily reduce the distress but make the thoughts stronger over time. If you’re stuck in this cycle, OCD treatment can help.
“What if I need my rituals to function? What if something bad really does happen?”
This is exactly what OCD wants you to believe. Part of treatment is testing these beliefs in a safe, controlled way. We help you discover that you can function—often better—without the rituals, and that the feared consequences rarely occur.
“How long will treatment take?”
Most people see significant improvement in 12-20 sessions of specialized OCD treatment, though this varies depending on severity and how long you’ve had OCD. Some people benefit from longer-term support, especially if they have multiple areas of OCD or other co-occurring conditions.
When You’re Ready to Change, We’re Ready to Help
OCD is incredibly treatable with the right approach. You don’t have to live with thoughts that torment you or spend hours each day doing rituals that don’t actually keep anyone safe. You can learn to have intrusive thoughts without them controlling your behavior.
Your first step is scheduling an initial consultation where we’ll assess your specific OCD symptoms and create a treatment plan tailored to your needs. This isn’t about jumping into scary exposures—it’s about understanding what you’re dealing with and mapping out a path forward.
Call (917) 688-2446 to speak with Bibiana about scheduling your OCD consultation. She’s available 10 AM to 2 PM and can answer questions about insurance coverage, scheduling options, and what specialized OCD treatment looks like.
