You’re not checking the door five times before bed anymore. You’re not spending hours stuck in rituals that steal your mornings. You’re not avoiding the people and places you love because your mind convinced you something terrible will happen.
ERP therapy doesn’t just manage your OCD symptoms. It rewires how your brain responds to the thoughts that used to control you. You learn that anxiety fades on its own—without the compulsions. That the fears your mind creates don’t require action. That you can sit with discomfort and come out the other side stronger.
After treatment, most people report they’re spending less time on rituals, feeling less fear when triggered, and getting back to the life they’ve been putting on hold. Some see their symptoms reduce so much they barely notice them anymore. That’s not luck—it’s what happens when you work with a treatment designed specifically for OCD, delivered by people who actually know how it works.
We bring nationally recognized expertise to Houston with a team that includes published researchers, clinicians who’ve shaped international treatment guidelines, and specialists with lived experience of OCD. That combination matters because it means you’re working with people who understand the science and the struggle.
We serve children, adolescents, and adults across Houston and beyond through secure virtual sessions and in-person care. Whether you’re in the Heights, Montrose, or the suburbs, you can access the same level of specialized treatment. Every clinician on our team is trained in exposure-based therapies—the approaches that research consistently shows work best for OCD.
What sets us apart in Houston is our refusal to treat OCD like general anxiety. We know the difference. We know that reassurance makes it worse, that avoidance feeds the cycle, and that facing your specific fears in a structured way is what creates change. You won’t get generic coping skills here. You’ll get a treatment plan built around your obsessions, your compulsions, and your goals.
First, you’ll meet with a specialist who’ll ask detailed questions about your intrusive thoughts, your rituals, and what your OCD is costing you. This isn’t small talk—it’s the foundation for building your exposure hierarchy, which ranks your fears from least to most anxiety-provoking.
Then, you start with the easier exposures. Maybe that’s touching a doorknob without washing your hands afterward. Maybe it’s sitting with an intrusive thought without mentally reviewing whether you’re a bad person. Whatever it is, your therapist guides you through it, helping you resist the compulsion that usually follows. You’ll feel the anxiety spike. That’s expected. But you’ll also learn that it peaks and then comes down—without you doing anything to “fix” it.
As you build confidence with lower-level fears, you move up the hierarchy. Sessions typically last about an hour, and a full course of treatment usually runs 12 to 20 weeks, depending on your symptoms and progress. Between sessions, you’ll practice exposures on your own, which reinforces what you’re learning and speeds up results.
For people who need more intensive support, we also offer a four-day intensive treatment option. This condensed format allows you to make significant progress in less time, which can be especially helpful if your OCD is severe or if you’ve tried weekly therapy without enough improvement.
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You’re working with a clinician who specializes in OCD—not someone who treats a little bit of everything. That specialization matters in Houston, where access to properly trained ERP therapists can be limited. You’re getting a personalized exposure plan, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Treatment includes psychoeducation so you understand why ERP works, which makes it easier to push through the hard parts. You’ll learn the difference between in vivo exposure (facing real-life situations), imaginal exposure (confronting feared thoughts or scenarios in your mind), and interoceptive exposure (triggering physical sensations tied to your anxiety). Your therapist will use whichever type—or combination—fits your specific OCD.
In Houston, where traffic and sprawl can make weekly appointments a hassle, we offer both virtual and in-person options. Virtual ERP is just as effective as in-person treatment, and it gives you flexibility to fit therapy into your actual life. You can do a session from your home, your office, or anywhere private with a solid internet connection.
You’ll also get support between sessions. Your therapist will assign homework exposures and check in on your progress. If you’re struggling, they’ll adjust the plan. If you’re ready to move faster, they’ll push you forward. The goal is always the same: get you to a place where OCD doesn’t run your life anymore.
ERP therapy is the most effective treatment we have for OCD, and that holds true whether you’re in Houston or anywhere else. Research shows that about 80% of people who complete ERP experience a significant reduction in symptoms, often within eight to 16 weeks. Around one-third of people who finish treatment report being symptom-free.
What makes ERP so effective is that it directly targets the cycle that keeps OCD going. Instead of trying to stop intrusive thoughts or make them go away, ERP teaches you to change how you respond to them. You learn that anxiety naturally decreases over time without compulsions, which breaks the loop your brain has been stuck in.
The key is working with a therapist who’s specifically trained in ERP, not just general CBT. In Houston, there are providers who offer “OCD treatment” but don’t use the exposure-based approach that research supports. We focus exclusively on evidence-based methods, which is why our outcomes align with what the studies show. You’re not experimenting with unproven techniques—you’re using the approach that’s been tested and validated over decades.
Talk therapy tries to help you gain insight into your problems by exploring your past, your feelings, or your thought patterns. For many conditions, that works. For OCD, it doesn’t. In fact, traditional talk therapy can actually make OCD worse because it often involves reassurance or trying to logic your way out of obsessions—both of which feed the disorder.
ERP is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy, but it’s specifically designed for OCD. Instead of talking about your fears, you face them in a controlled way. Instead of seeking reassurance, you practice sitting with uncertainty. Instead of avoiding triggers, you expose yourself to them gradually while resisting the urge to do compulsions.
The difference in results is significant. Studies show that people who do ERP see much better outcomes than those who stick with talk therapy alone. ERP gives you skills you can use for the rest of your life—skills that help you tolerate distress, manage intrusive thoughts, and stop letting compulsions control your schedule. Talk therapy might help you understand why you feel anxious, but ERP teaches you how to stop feeding the anxiety in the first place.
Yes. We offer a four-day intensive treatment option for people who need more concentrated support than weekly sessions provide. This format is especially helpful if your OCD is severe, if you’ve tried outpatient therapy without enough progress, or if you need to make faster gains due to work, school, or other life demands.
Intensive ERP condenses the work you’d normally do over several months into a shorter timeframe. You’re doing multiple sessions per day, which allows you to build momentum and tackle higher-level exposures more quickly. Many people find that the immersive nature of intensive treatment leads to breakthroughs that might take much longer in a traditional weekly format.
The program is available both virtually and in person, depending on what works best for you. Whether you’re local to Houston or coming from elsewhere in Texas, we can design an intensive plan that fits your needs. Not everyone is a candidate for intensive treatment—your therapist will assess whether it’s the right fit based on your symptoms, your readiness, and your goals. But for those who are ready to commit, it can be a game-changer.
Absolutely. Virtual ERP therapy is just as effective as in-person treatment, and it’s often more convenient for people in Houston given the size of the metro area and traffic patterns. We offer secure telehealth sessions throughout Texas, so you can work with a specialist without spending an hour in your car each week.
Virtual sessions work the same way as in-person ones. You’ll meet with your therapist over a HIPAA-compliant video platform, go through your exposure exercises, and get real-time coaching and support. For some exposures, being at home is actually ideal—especially if your OCD involves contamination fears, checking behaviors, or rituals tied to your living space.
The flexibility of virtual care also means you’re more likely to stick with treatment. You can schedule sessions during lunch breaks, after the kids go to bed, or whenever works for your life. You don’t have to worry about finding parking, sitting in a waiting room, or rearranging your entire day. You just log on, do the work, and move forward. For many people in Houston, that accessibility is what makes treatment possible in the first place.
Most people start seeing improvement within the first few weeks of ERP therapy, but a full course of treatment typically takes 12 to 20 sessions. That timeline can vary depending on how severe your OCD is, how many different obsessions and compulsions you’re dealing with, and how consistently you practice exposures between sessions.
Some people notice changes quickly—less time spent on rituals, fewer intrusive thoughts, or less anxiety when they’re triggered. Others need more time to work through their exposure hierarchy, especially if they have multiple OCD themes or if their symptoms have been severe for years. The key is sticking with it even when it feels hard, because the gains tend to build over time.
We tailor the pace of treatment to each person. If you’re making fast progress, your therapist will move you up the hierarchy more quickly. If you’re struggling with a particular exposure, they’ll adjust the plan so you’re challenged but not overwhelmed. The goal isn’t to rush through treatment—it’s to give you the skills and confidence you need to manage OCD long after therapy ends. And for most people, that happens within a few months of consistent work.
Your first session is about gathering information and building a roadmap for treatment. Your therapist will ask detailed questions about your intrusive thoughts, your compulsions, and how OCD is affecting your daily life. This isn’t a surface-level conversation—they need to understand the specifics so they can design exposures that actually target your symptoms.
You’ll also learn how ERP works and why it’s effective for OCD. Understanding the science behind the treatment makes it easier to push through the discomfort that comes with facing your fears. Your therapist will explain the concept of exposure hierarchies, habituation, and response prevention so you know what to expect as you move forward.
By the end of the first session, you’ll have a clearer sense of what treatment will look like and what your goals are. You won’t start doing exposures right away—that comes after your therapist has enough information to build your hierarchy. But you’ll leave with a plan, a timeline, and a better understanding of how ERP can help you take your life back from OCD. We make sure that first session sets you up for success, not just another appointment.
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