I work with all OCD themes. OCD can attach itself to anything that matters to you, and no theme is too much, too strange, or too taboo to talk about in therapy.

This includes common themes like contamination, checking, perfectionism, and health anxiety—as well as more sensitive and distressing themes such as harm OCD, sexual or intrusive taboo thoughts (including fears about being inappropriate or causing harm), relationship OCD, religious or moral scrupulosity, and fears about identity.

Many people feel ashamed or worried about what their thoughts might “mean,” but these thoughts are a well-known part of OCD—and they do not define you. Therapy is a space where you can talk openly about your experience without judgment, and where we can work directly on what’s keeping you stuck.

Yes. This is actually a very common and well-understood part of OCD. The thoughts can feel intense, disturbing, and completely out of line with who you are, and that’s exactly why they stick. OCD tends to target what matters most to you and twist it into something that feels threatening.

Having these thoughts does not mean you want them, believe them, or would ever act on them. In fact, the distress you feel is often a sign of how strongly these thoughts go against your values.

You’re not alone in this, and you’re not “too much” for therapy. This is something we can talk about openly and work through together, in a way that helps you feel less afraid of your own mind and more confident in who you are.

The first 1–3 sessions are a comprehensive intake where we’ll take a deep dive into your experience with OCD. This includes a structured assessment to understand the specific obsessions and compulsions that are showing up for you—because OCD looks very different from person to person. I’ll also ask about your personal and professional life, and how OCD is impacting your day-to-day functioning.

The goal is to get a clear picture of your unique obsessions and compulsions, and how the cycle is being maintained. From there, we’ll develop a personalized ERP plan that is practical, structured, and tailored to your needs—so you can start making meaningful, measurable progress in treating your OCD.

Progress in ERP depends on your specific needs, but it’s a structured, step-by-step process. In the early sessions, we focus on building a strong foundation—understanding your OCD, mapping out your obsessions and compulsions, and creating your exposure hierarchy.

From there, the real change happens through practice. As we work up the hierarchy, you’ll repeatedly face fears and resist compulsions, helping your brain learn that anxiety can rise and fall without needing to be “fixed.” This is where deeper, lasting change starts to take shape.

Like building a house, each step builds on the last. The more consistently you engage in exposures and apply the skills, the stronger and more durable your progress becomes—so you’re not just feeling better in the moment, but creating lasting freedom from the OCD cycle.

If OCD is interfering with your ability to live the life you want—whether it’s affecting your work, relationships, or day-to-day activities—it might be a sign that therapy could help. While self-help strategies can be useful, therapy offers a supportive space where we can explore what’s driving your OCD and work together on tools tailored to your specific needs. If you’ve tried managing it on your own but still feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward, therapy can provide guidance and structure to help you gain clarity, reduce symptoms, and feel more in control.

No. I can’t guarantee that therapy will work for everyone because each person’s journey is unique, and progress depends on many factors, like your goals, the work we do together, and how you apply what you learn outside of sessions. That being said, while no treatment can offer a 100% guarantee, evidence suggests that therapy, particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), is effective for many individuals dealing with OCD.

If therapy doesn’t feel like the right fit, there are other options available. You could explore self-management strategies, like mindfulness or lifestyle changes, consider medication with guidance from a healthcare provider, engage in healing practices rooted in your culture or community, or even take some time to reflect and do nothing for now. Therapy is one option among many, and it’s important to explore what feels most helpful for you in your current situation.