Offering virtual or in person therapy in Hurst for OCD
Discover Life-Changing Virtual or in Person Therapy in Hurst
Have you tried therapy before, only to feel worse? OCD demands specialized treatment that goes beyond standard anxiety approaches. Without the right training, a therapist might unintentionally reinforce compulsions or leave you feeling more confused. Traditional methods can even exacerbate OCD symptoms. You deserve a therapist who truly understands your unique challenges. Let’s work together to find the right path for your recovery.
OCD is more than just washing your hands
OCD can involve repetitive rituals, compulsions to do things just the right way, constantly analyze your thoughts and actions, have intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or others physically or sexually, and even make you concerned you have done these things. Constantly checking your thoughts and actions is no way to live and if you have OCD you know “just stop” is not an action.
Reassurance is a prison for OCD
It is normal to want to feel better and have people who care for us tell us everything is ok. The problem is that OCD more often than not has irrational worries and no amount of reassurance will make them settle down. Having a therapist offer you reassurance constantly will do the same thing. It is important if you have concerns about having OCD to do a thorough evaluation to determine the best course of treatment. As your therapist once we have realized something is a compulsive thought I will give you reassurance once and then help you make a plan to address that thought.
Exposure and Response Prevention
The gold standard for OCD and other disorders like agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). During ERP we will build a hierarchy based on how distressing your thoughts, rituals, and compulsions might be and one by one practice handling this trigger without using avoidance or compulsive calming strategies. OCD thrives on panic and sustains itself by having you avoid the trigger which just reinforces that this thought or action is too scary. By allowing yourself to stay in an exposure until your anxiety peaks naturally you will reduce the power of your intrusive thoughts. You can be in control again.
More than Face Your Fear
If all you had to do was face your fear you would have done it by now. ERP works best when you have a provider who can help you identify ways you might be getting sneaky reassurance or using compulsions to escape completing the cycle. A skilled provider can also help you make the right hierarchy so that you don’t hold yourself back or go too far too fast. OCD is not rational and having someone on the outside to motivate you and guide your treatment is essential.
What if it is more than OCD?
Because I am a trauma therapist I have large number of clients who are struggling with both OCD and complex trauma. Being able to evaluate what symptoms are trauma based and which are OCD can be the difference in getting better and staying stuck. While ERP works for OCD you are going to need more than just that to make progress if you have trauma on board. Because I am trained in many different techniques including EMDR, narrative therapy, and IFS we can make a targeted plan for you that is designed to not make your OCD worse while we do it.
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