You’re tired of anxiety making decisions for you. Tired of avoiding places, people, or situations that used to feel normal. Tired of the exhausting mental gymnastics just to get through a day.
Here’s what changes when exposure therapy works: You walk into situations that used to terrify you. Not because the fear disappears completely, but because you’ve learned it doesn’t have to control you. You make plans without the constant “what if” calculations. You sleep better knowing you have tools that actually work.
The research backs this up. Over 90% of people who complete exposure therapy for specific phobias see significant improvement. For OCD, exposure and response prevention is the gold standard treatment recommended by major medical organizations. These aren’t just statistics—they represent real people who got their lives back.
We bring something unique to Corpus Christi’s mental health landscape: deep clinical expertise combined with genuine understanding of what it’s like to live with these conditions.
Our founder, William Schultz, isn’t just trained in exposure therapy—he’s lived through OCD recovery himself. After struggling with the condition for ten years, he achieved remission and then dedicated himself to helping others do the same. This combination of professional training and personal experience creates a level of understanding that’s rare in mental health care.
In a region where specialized anxiety and OCD treatment can be hard to find, we offer both virtual and in-person options, making evidence-based care accessible to more people across South Texas.
Exposure therapy works by gradually facing the things you’ve been avoiding, but it’s not about throwing you into the deep end. Everything happens at a pace you can handle, with your full understanding and consent.
First, we map out your specific fears and avoidance patterns. Then we create a hierarchy—starting with situations that cause mild anxiety and gradually working up to more challenging ones. Each exposure is planned together, and you always know exactly what to expect.
During exposures, you’ll learn that the catastrophic outcomes your anxiety predicts rarely happen. More importantly, you’ll discover you can handle uncomfortable feelings without needing to escape or perform rituals. Over time, your brain learns new associations, and the grip of anxiety loosens. Research shows that 60-100 exposures combined with response prevention typically lead to substantial, lasting improvement.
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We offer multiple approaches to exposure therapy, including cutting-edge virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). This technology allows for controlled, immersive experiences that can be particularly effective for social anxiety, specific phobias, and PTSD.
Virtual reality exposure has several advantages: it’s completely safe, highly controllable, and often more acceptable to clients than traditional in-vivo exposures. Research shows VRET produces significant behavior change in real-life situations and can be as effective as traditional exposure methods.
For Corpus Christi residents, this means access to innovative treatment options typically found only in major metropolitan areas. Whether you’re dealing with social anxiety, specific phobias, OCD, or PTSD, our combination of traditional exposure techniques and modern technology provides flexible, effective treatment tailored to your specific needs.
Exposure therapy has strong research support across multiple anxiety-related conditions. For specific phobias, studies show over 90% of people who complete treatment experience significant improvement. For OCD, exposure and response prevention (ERP) is considered the first-line psychotherapy by the American Psychiatric Association and other major medical organizations.
The effects are often long-lasting too. Follow-up studies have found that more than 80% of PTSD patients who received exposure therapy continued to benefit from it six years later. These aren’t temporary fixes—when done properly, exposure therapy creates lasting changes in how your brain responds to anxiety triggers.
What makes exposure therapy particularly effective is that it addresses the root mechanism maintaining anxiety: avoidance. By gradually facing feared situations in a controlled way, you learn that you can handle discomfort and that your worst fears rarely come true.
Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) uses immersive technology to create controlled environments where you can face your fears safely. Instead of going to an actual crowded place for social anxiety, for example, you might start with a virtual crowd that can be adjusted for intensity.
Research shows VRET is as effective as traditional in-person exposure therapy, with some unique advantages. It’s completely safe, highly controllable, and often more acceptable to people who might initially resist traditional exposures. You can practice the same situation multiple times with slight variations, which isn’t always possible in real life.
Both approaches work by the same principle: gradually facing what you’ve been avoiding until your anxiety response naturally decreases. The choice between virtual and traditional methods depends on your specific condition, comfort level, and treatment goals. Many people benefit from a combination of both approaches.
The timeline varies depending on your specific condition and how consistently you practice. For specific phobias, some people see significant improvement in just a few sessions. For more complex conditions like OCD or PTSD, treatment typically takes several months of regular sessions.
Research suggests that substantial improvement usually occurs after completing between 60 to 100 exposures combined with response prevention. This might sound like a lot, but many of these happen as daily practice between sessions, not just during appointments.
The key factor in treatment duration is your willingness to do the work between sessions. People who complete daily exposure practices typically see faster progress than those who only do exposures during therapy appointments. We’ll work with you to create a realistic practice schedule that fits your life while maximizing your progress.
Exposure therapy is very safe when conducted by trained professionals. While you’ll experience some anxiety during exposures—that’s actually necessary for the treatment to work—everything is carefully planned and gradual. You’ll never be surprised, pressured, or forced into an exposure you haven’t agreed to.
Initially, your anxiety might feel more intense because you’re facing things you’ve been avoiding. However, this temporary increase leads to long-term reduction in symptoms. Think of it like physical therapy after an injury—some discomfort during treatment leads to better function afterward.
The approach is always collaborative. We start with exposures that cause manageable anxiety and gradually work up to more challenging situations. You maintain control throughout the process, and we adjust the pace based on your comfort and progress. The goal is to build confidence in your ability to handle anxiety, not to overwhelm you.
Yes, exposure therapy can be effectively delivered through telehealth, and research supports its effectiveness. Virtual sessions allow access to specialized treatment regardless of your location, which is particularly valuable in areas like Corpus Christi where specialized anxiety and OCD therapists may be limited.
Virtual exposure therapy works well because many exposures involve mental exercises, imaginal work, or tasks you can do in your own environment. For example, someone with contamination OCD might practice touching “contaminated” objects at home, while someone with social anxiety might practice phone calls or video interactions.
The therapeutic relationship and guidance remain just as important in virtual sessions. We can observe your responses, provide real-time coaching, and adjust exposures based on your progress. Many people actually prefer virtual sessions because they feel more comfortable in their own space, which can make it easier to engage with the treatment process.
Your first session won’t involve any actual exposures. Instead, it’s focused on understanding your specific anxiety patterns, avoidance behaviors, and treatment goals. We’ll want to understand what situations you avoid, what thoughts go through your mind during anxious moments, and how anxiety impacts your daily life.
Together, we’ll create what’s called an exposure hierarchy—a list of feared situations ranked from least to most anxiety-provoking. This becomes your roadmap for treatment. You’ll also learn about how exposure therapy works and why facing your fears actually reduces anxiety over time.
The collaborative approach means you’re involved in every decision about your treatment. Nothing happens without your understanding and agreement. By the end of the first session, you’ll have a clear picture of what treatment will look like and feel confident about the next steps. The actual exposure work begins gradually in subsequent sessions, always at a pace you can handle.
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