You’re not looking for another therapist who means well but doesn’t get it. You need someone who understands that OCD isn’t quirky—it’s exhausting, time-consuming, and stealing your life one ritual at a time.
ERP therapy changes that. Eighty percent of people with OCD who use ERP experience significant symptom reduction within 8 to 16 weeks. Not temporary relief. Not coping strategies that barely work. Real, measurable change that lets you reclaim hours of your day.
When ERP works, you stop checking the door handle five times before bed. You stop avoiding places that trigger your contamination fears. You stop replaying conversations in your head, searching for proof you didn’t say something terrible. You get your life back.
We bring together nationally recognized researchers, published clinicians, and advocates—many with lived experience of the very conditions we treat. This isn’t theoretical knowledge. It’s deep, authentic understanding of what you’re facing.
Austin has seen a 25% increase in poor mental health reports from 2011 to 2021, with over 43% of Texas adults experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms. In a city where mental health challenges are rising, you deserve specialists who’ve dedicated their careers to OCD treatment, not generalists trying to help with everything.
Our team includes clinicians who have shaped international OCD treatment guidelines and written foundational books in the field. We combine clinical authority with genuine empathy, meeting you exactly where you are—emotionally, culturally, and geographically through both secure telehealth and in-person appointments.
ERP isn’t about talking through your feelings. It’s about systematically breaking the cycle that keeps you trapped. Here’s what actually happens.
First, we conduct a thorough evaluation to understand your specific obsessions and compulsions. No two people with OCD are identical, so your treatment plan is built around your unique symptoms and goals. We create a hierarchy of your fears, ranking them from least to most anxiety-provoking.
Then comes the exposure work. Gradually and safely, you face the situations that trigger your obsessions while learning to resist the compulsive responses. If contamination fears keep you from touching doorknobs, we start there. If checking rituals consume your evenings, we address those patterns. Each exposure is planned, collaborative, and designed to prove that your anxiety decreases naturally without rituals.
Between sessions, you practice what you’ve learned. This isn’t homework for homework’s sake—it’s how you build the skills to handle OCD triggers in real life. We monitor your progress closely, adjusting the approach as you build confidence and see results.
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We offer both traditional weekly ERP sessions and intensive treatment options, including our innovative four-day intensive program. Intensive formats often achieve breakthrough moments in days that might take months in traditional weekly sessions.
Austin’s specialized Intensive Outpatient Programs for OCD reflect the city’s growing recognition of the need for comprehensive treatment. Our approach serves children, adolescents, and adults, with both virtual and in-person options to meet Austin residents wherever they are.
Whether you’re a UT student struggling with perfectionism OCD, a tech professional whose contamination fears are affecting work, or a parent whose checking rituals are impacting family time, we tailor treatment to your specific situation. Austin’s fast-paced, achievement-oriented culture can intensify OCD symptoms, but it also means you’re likely informed enough to recognize when you need specialized help.
We’re fully transparent about our process, fees, and what to expect. No surprises, no unclear timelines—just honest communication about the work ahead and the results you can achieve.
Traditional talk therapy isn’t effective for OCD and may unintentionally reinforce compulsions by providing reassurance or directly arguing with obsessions. If you’re spending significant time each day on repetitive behaviors, avoiding certain situations due to anxiety, or finding that reassurance from others only provides temporary relief, you likely need specialized OCD treatment.
ERP is specifically designed to break the obsession-compulsion cycle. Regular counseling focuses on insight and emotional processing, which can actually make OCD worse by giving obsessions more attention. Both the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association agree that ERP is the best treatment for OCD.
The key difference: if your anxiety centers around “what if” thoughts that drive repetitive behaviors or avoidance, and if these patterns are taking more than an hour of your day or significantly impacting your life, ERP is what you need.
ERP is the most researched, most effective, and most widely-recommended treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, backed by decades of clinical evidence and real-world success stories. It’s supported by decades of research and recommended by all major clinical guidelines.
The reason ERP works is simple: it directly addresses the core problem. OCD thrives on avoidance and rituals that provide temporary relief but strengthen the disorder long-term. ERP systematically breaks this cycle by teaching your brain that anxiety decreases naturally without compulsions.
ERP is considered the most effective psychotherapeutic treatment for OCD, with research consistently showing superior outcomes compared to other approaches. Unlike medications that may help manage symptoms, ERP teaches you skills that last beyond treatment.
Most people with OCD who use ERP experience a reduction in symptoms within eight to 16 weeks. However, many notice some improvement even sooner, particularly in intensive treatment formats.
Many people see significant improvements within 12-20 sessions, with some noticing changes even sooner. The timeline depends on several factors: the severity of your symptoms, how long you’ve had OCD, your commitment to doing exposures between sessions, and whether you choose weekly sessions or intensive treatment.
Our intensive four-day treatment option can achieve breakthrough moments that might take months to reach in traditional weekly sessions. The key is consistency and working with a therapist specifically trained in ERP—not someone who does a little bit of everything.
ERP can be highly effective through secure telehealth, and we offer both virtual and in-person options to meet your needs. Many exposures work perfectly in virtual sessions—touching objects, reading triggering materials, or practicing uncertainty tolerance exercises.
Virtual therapy provides greater access to mental health services, and we provide both online and in-person sessions. This is particularly valuable in Austin, where 80% of Texas counties are designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage areas, and 26.4% of Texans are unable to get mental health treatment.
Some exposures may require in-person work—like practicing in specific locations or handling particular objects—but most of the therapeutic work translates well to virtual sessions. We’ll determine the best approach based on your specific symptoms and treatment goals.
Weekly ERP sessions follow a traditional therapy schedule, typically meeting once per week for 50-90 minutes over several months. This approach works well for many people and allows you to gradually build skills while maintaining your regular routine.
Intensive ERP condenses focused work into consecutive days, often achieving breakthrough moments that might take months in traditional weekly sessions. Our four-day intensive program is ideal if you want faster results, have tried weekly therapy without success, or need to make significant progress quickly.
Intensive treatment works because it prevents the natural “forgetting” that happens between weekly sessions. When you do exposures daily, you build momentum and see patterns more clearly. You won’t have to wait months to see results, with proven methods helping you break free from OCD’s grip so you can start living the life you deserve.
One of the strengths of ERP is that it can be customized to fit any OCD subtype or obsession theme, as OCD comes in many forms. Whether you’re dealing with contamination fears, harm obsessions, perfectionism, relationship OCD, or “pure O” (primarily mental compulsions), ERP addresses the underlying mechanism that drives all OCD symptoms.
ERP is the gold standard treatment for OCD, involving exposure to obsessional fears while preventing compulsive behaviors, helping individuals learn that anxiety decreases naturally without engaging in compulsions. The specific exposures change based on your symptoms, but the core principle remains the same.
Our team has extensive experience with all OCD presentations, including less common subtypes that other therapists might not recognize. We create individualized treatment plans based on your specific obsessions, compulsions, and life circumstances. No matter how unusual or disturbing your thoughts feel, we’ve worked with similar cases and know how to help.
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