OCD Therapy - San Diego, CA
by Katherine Pica LCSW
Are you feeling overwhelmed and stuck in thought spirals? Are you constantly thinking over and over again? Do you get stuck in a thought spiral? Do intrusive thoughts, obsessions, and rituals impact your quality of life and hold you back from enjoying loved ones? Have you tried Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) therapy before but found that it didn’t help?
When you struggle with OCD, it’s like you feel your mind is constantly taken over by thoughts and behaviors. As much as you try to get a hold on the thoughts, you struggle to control them and anxiety takes over.
Your OCD may include rituals that you keep hidden from others. Maybe you get stuck repeating the same thing over and over. You likely know this thought is not logical but still feel the urge to act on it anyway. Maybe you have to hand-wash , count or read —over and over until it feels “right”.
Because you’re often overcome by fear, you may struggle to accomplish your goals in life. Sadly, your OCD may be holding you back from moving forward or forming close relationships which causes you to feel very isolated.
You might have tried therapy before but it did not help your OCD
If you have been struggling with OCD for a while you may have already tried therapy. However since specialized OCD therapy is not widely available the therapy you have tried did not really help. Feeling discouraged you decided that therapy can not help and you will never get better. After feeling discouraged you incorrectly decided that your OCD is not treatable and you will never get better.
There is really good news though! There is evidenced based therapy that has actually been proven to help effectively manage OCD. With the right therapy you can be free of the grip that OCD has on your life and thoughts.
OCD is actually more prevalent than most of us think
2.3 percent of US adults will experience OCD sometime in their lives according to the National Institute of mental health. That may seem like a small piece of the population but that actually estimates that 5.6 million Americans are struggling with OCD.
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Even though it is relatively common we are still learning more about OCD. We see OCD run in Families and are still learning more if it is a biological or learned behavior.
Not all forms of therapy work for OCD
There are only certain types of treatments that have shown to be effective for OCD. Having seen many different talk therapists and tried many different forms of treatment we end up feeling hopeless that we will ever get better. We have assumed that we are unable to be fixed and will have to continue to live life with OCD taking its grip.
The embarrassment and shame make OCD hard to talk about
OCD can be very hard to share with others. OCD often does not look like what we see on TV so it can be scary or embarrassing to share with others. For those of us that suffer from it feel shame, guilt and embarrassment. The thoughts cause us to feel so guilty for it even crossing our mind. This leaves us keeping it to ourselves rather than risk being judged by others. The shame also makes it so difficult to seek OCD therapy. We end up struggling alone without getting the real help that we need.
Luckily the availability of OCD therapy has improved. There is OCD therapy that has been proven in reducing the symptoms of OCD. Even if you have tried other forms of therapy before , it is worth trying OCD therapy with a specialized OCD therapist .
OCD therapy is available that can help you manage your OCD
It takes a lot of courage to talk to another person about your OCD. The thoughts you are having can be difficult to express or you may feel shame and guilt that you are even having these thoughts . Also if you have tried therapy before and found that it did not help your OCD you may feel skeptical that therapy will even help.
However talking with an OCD therapist who really understands OCD without Judgment is such an important step in your journey towards recovery. Being open to trying an evidenced based form of OCD therapy is such a good step in the right direction. OCD therapy can make such a difference in your life. The goal is to help you learn the tools and skills to get unstuck from the grip OCD has on your life. I want to help you learn how to get unhooked from OCD and reconnect with what's important in your life.
What is OCD therapy like?
In OCD therapy our first few sessions will be really getting to know more about your struggles with OCD and have time getting comfortable with each other. Afterwards I will conduct an assessment to get an accurate diagnosis so I can come up with a treatment plan with your goals in mind. The goals of therapy will be decided by you !
In the following session we will work together to learn coping skills to help you work through triggering situations. We start with easier issues first so you gain confidence to move on to the more challenging stuff.
When we work together to combat the fears it will allow your brain to learn that what you expected to happen did not happen and even if it did you were able to handle it!
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold standard for OCD therapy
Exposure and Response Prevention(ERP) has been heavily studied and shown to be effective in managing OCD. ERP is considered the gold standard of treatment for OCD. ERP helps you learn step by step to face the fears slowly and then work on reducing rituals.
I have helped so many clients overcome many different forms of OCD and I am sure I have tools that can help you too! When committing to this process you can overcome the hold that ocd has on your life. I work extensively with OCD and am so excited to share this with you ! Even if you have lost hope in OCD therapy there is so much that can be gained from OCD therapy.
But may be curious whether OCD therapy is right for you…
I Have tried treatment for OCD before but it did not work
Over the years as working as an OCD therapist I have heard from so many clients just like you. These clients feel discouraged and frustrated that nothing worked for them. Despite going to talk therapy and trying to do work in between they still saw very little improvement in their OCD.
I have had many clients try different anxiety techniques and still not see much change. However ERP is different. It is a form of therapy developed to treat OCD. It has been shown to be 60-80% effective in treating OCD symptoms. My clients say “I feel so free, I don't have to do or think about these things anymore.” ERP therapy really works and most who give it a try can see improvement!
I am not sure I can afford OCD therapy
It is so important to make you rmental health a priority. When OCD is really impacting your life and you feel stuck, it's worth making and investment in therapy.
If OCD is holding you back from accomplishing the goals you have in your life you deserve a solution. When you think about all the time and ways that OCD demands from you getting OCD therapy is money well spent.
I am worried I will be judged for my OCD
OCD really can be scary and sometimes it touches on taboo topics. Even though part of you knows you can't control these thoughts it still feels shameful to have them in the first place. In OCD therapy with me there will be a non judgemental space for you.
No topic is too taboo or off limits. Regardless of the thoughts I have really heard it all. Nothing will shock me! When I hear people share their deepest darkest OCD thoughts there really is no judgment from me.
I often hear clients say “I have never been able to say this to anyone else and it feels so freeing being able to say it outloud. We will work together to let go of that grip of that shame and fear OCD has on your life.
OCD therapy can help you regain control of your life
Even if you have tried talk therapy that did not work there is still hope! Offering in person sessions in San Diego, CA and video sessions all over California.
What is OCD ?
Obsessive compulsive disorder, (OCD) is a mental health disorder where a person has obsessional thoughts and rituals and compulsions around those thoughts. OCD affects all different types of people from all different walks of life. It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in the US struggle with OCD.
You are not alone in your struggle with OCD. Many people struggle with OCD but only about one third of people seek help. OCD is highly treatable and the key is finding a therapist who specializes in OCD. With the help of a therapist you can learn real life solutions to break free from your OCD.
What are obsessions and compulsions?
Obsessions are recurrent or persistent thoughts images that repeat over and over and feel outside of one's control. In most people they cause a significant amount of anxiety or stress.
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that when struggling with OCD you feel driven to perform. This may temporarily reduce anxiety however OCD often will demand more and more compulsions and then the anxiety in turn increases. So to sum it up obsessions are the thing we fear, and compulsions are the thing we do to neutralize the fear.
More About Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and OCD Treatment
There is a lot to learn about OCD! It is crucial for raising awareness and understanding to fully understand OCD. Here are some key facts about OCD that can help you or your loved ones.
Symptoms of OCD
Contamination - fear of being contaminated or sicked by germs
Checking - checking light switches stovetops door knob, checking driving to make sure that you did not hit someone
Symmetry - making sure that things are exactly the same or even,
Counting - having things done the same amount of time
Harm OCD - worrying about harming yourself for more commonly other people
Religious OCD - worrying that you have upset God or if you will go to heaven
Relationship OCD- obsessing about your relationship if you are with the correct person, if they really love you if you really love them, obsession about flaws in partner
Sexual Orientation OCD- obsessing if you are homosexual or hetrosexual
Perfectionism OCD- re reading or rewriting - often having great difficulty reading or writing due to the compulsion to reread
Health OCD- obsessing about one's health and body sensations , obsessing about getting a disease like cancer HIV or COVID
When is OCD usually diagnosed in treatment?
OCD can be diagnosed at any time from early childhood ages 8-12 and late teen to early adulthood. OCD can also come up postpartum just like postpartum depression. Also there are many people who do not fall into this age range category either. OCD can really come up at any time in life.
Why do I have OCD?
OCD is thought to be both a biological issue and learned issues. So there is a genetic component to OCD. OCD has been found to run in families. Even though OCD is genetic there is also learning that happens that reinforces OCD behavior. So we have nature and nurture debate and with OCD we can see that both contribute to OCD.
How to get treatment for OCD?
Some people may have heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT as a type of mental health treatment. Exposure and Response Prevention , ERP is a specific type of CBT. ERP is the gold standard for treatment of OCD. ERP has been shown to be the most effective form of therapy for OCD.
If you seek help through Resilience Counseling we will be using ERP as treatment for OCD . ERP is an evidenced based therapy and is considered the “gold standard” for treatment of OCD. Studies show that ERP is up to 80% effective in reducing symptoms of OCD . The studies really show that ERP works!
ERP has been shown to be the most effective form of therapy for OCD. ERP therapy is evidenced based treatment and has shown to be very effective to treat OCD. ERP is a very specific type of CBT treatment, Exposure and response prevention will start to help you face the issues that are coming up in your OCD in small steps.
How can I find an OCD therapist ?
When looking for a therapist to treat OCD it is very important to find someone who practices ERP. Many therapists practice CBT but it is important to ask if they specialize in ERP.
Ask the therapist do you practice and have been trained in ERP. Ask the OCD therapist what treatment would look like for you. While it's important to find a therapist that specializes in ERP it's also very important that you feel comfortable with this therapist. Finding the right ERP therapist is a very important step towards facing your OCD.
What to expect when working with an OCD therapist?
When working with an ERP therapist it can teach you ways to face your OCD by chipping away at it bit by bit. It can teach you that what you fear most is not likely to happen. It will help you learn to tolerate anxiety and discomfort.
The best part about ERP is that it can help you learn that you don't need to live life full of time consuming compulsions and rituals. Finding an ERP therapist can really help guide you along this journey.
ERP can be tough and challenging but so is OCD. Think of all the time wasted to OCD and the rituals that OCD wants you to do. There is so much power and freedom when you learn to over come OCD.
How can I get OCD therapy in San Diego or all over California ?
There is so much hope to overcome OCD! I have worked with many people successfully helping them overcome a wide variety of types of OCD. We are specialized OCD therapists and are here to help. If you feel like you want to take the first step to get help with your OCD, please book now so we can set up a free 15 minute phone call today!
