My Approach
Why ERP — and why talk therapy alone falls short.
OCD is a specific condition that responds to a specific kind of treatment. Decades of research — and the consensus of major bodies like the APA and the International OCD Foundation — point to one approach as the most effective: Exposure and Response Prevention.
ERP in plain language
OCD is a closed-loop system with no off-ramp. ERP retrains your brain to respond differently to intrusive thoughts — and together we build the off-ramp that leads back to choice.
Why talk therapy isn't enough
Talking about OCD can make it stronger.
OCD doesn't respond to reassurance or to exploring why a thought is there. In fact, it feeds off that exploration — every answer becomes a new question, every certainty becomes a new doubt.
- Analyzing intrusive thoughts gives them more weight, not less.
- Reassurance feels helpful in the moment but feeds the cycle.
- Insight alone doesn't reduce the urge to do compulsions.
- Many people leave talk therapy feeling more stuck — and more ashamed.
What ERP does differently
ERP teaches your brain a new response.
Instead of arguing with the thought, you learn to let it be there — and to stop performing the compulsion that keeps the loop alive. Over time, your brain learns the thought isn't an emergency.
- We gradually face what OCD has been avoiding — at your pace.
- You learn to allow uncertainty instead of fighting it.
- You build the muscle of not performing compulsions.
- Over time, the obsessions lose their volume and their grip.
What treatment looks like
A structured path, walked together.
- Format
- Telehealth across California — from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
- Session length
- 50 minutes, typically weekly.
- Course of care
- Most people complete ERP in about 8–20 sessions, depending on severity.
01
Understanding your OCD
We map your specific obsessions, compulsions, and triggers. No detail is too strange.
02
Building your plan
Together we design a hierarchy of exposures — starting where you can succeed.
03
Practicing ERP
We do exposures in session and you continue between sessions. I'll be alongside you.
04
Living your life back
As compulsions shrink, the time and energy OCD stole begins to return.
OCD subtypes I treat
OCD wears a lot of masks.
Whatever your obsessions look like, they're welcome here. A few of the subtypes I commonly work with:
Contamination
Fears of germs, illness, or feeling "dirty" — including emotional contamination.
Harm OCD
Intrusive thoughts about harming yourself or someone you love.
Relationship OCD (ROCD)
Constant doubt about your partner, the relationship, or your feelings.
Sexual & POCD
Unwanted sexual intrusive thoughts, including thoughts that feel taboo or terrifying.
Scrupulosity
Moral or religious OCD — fears of having sinned, lied, or been a bad person.
"Just right" / symmetry
Needing things to feel even, complete, or correct before you can move on.
Checking
Repeated checking of locks, appliances, your body, or your own memory.
Health & somatic
Fears about illness or hyper-focus on bodily sensations.
Existential & meta-OCD
Spiraling questions about reality, identity, or the nature of your own thoughts.
Don't see your subtype? Reach out — OCD shows up in many forms, and you won't surprise me.
Curious if ERP is right for you?
Let's talk. A short consultation can help you decide.
Schedule an appointment