Call: 612-875-1890
Call: 612-875-1890
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OCD Therapy St. Paul

Break Free from OCD's Grip

Evidence-based OCD therapy that actually works. Stop letting intrusive thoughts control your life and start living again.
Request A Free Consultation
Call: 612-875-1890

OCD Research Expert

Gold Standard Methods

Multiple Evidence-Based Options

Downtown St. Paul Location

Professional OCD Treatment St. Paul

Real Treatment for Real Recovery

OCD isn’t just quirky habits or being particular about cleanliness. It’s a serious condition where intrusive thoughts create overwhelming anxiety, leading to time-consuming compulsions that disrupt your entire life. You spend hours each day trapped in cycles you can’t break. Work suffers. Relationships strain. Sleep becomes elusive. The thoughts feel so real, so urgent, that you have no choice but to give in to the compulsions. But here’s what you need to know: OCD is highly treatable with the right approach. You don’t have to live as a prisoner to your own mind.

Exposure Response Prevention St. Paul

Why ERP Works When Other Approaches Fail

Exposure and Response Prevention is the gold standard OCD treatment because it directly addresses what keeps OCD alive: avoidance and compulsions. Most people try to fight intrusive thoughts or find ways to make them go away. This actually makes OCD stronger. ERP teaches you to face the thoughts without performing compulsions, breaking the cycle that feeds your OCD. Research shows that 60 to 100 exposures combined with response prevention lead to substantial, lasting improvement. Unlike medication alone, the benefits of ERP typically remain after treatment ends, giving you tools that work for life.

ERP Therapy Benefits St. Paul

What You Gain with Effective Treatment

Stop letting OCD steal your time, energy, and joy. Reclaim the life you want to live.
  • You'll spend dramatically less time on compulsions, freeing up hours for what matters.
  • Intrusive thoughts lose their power to control your decisions and daily activities.
  • Your relationships improve as OCD stops interfering with your connections to others.
  • Work and school performance rebounds when your mind isn't consumed by obsessions.
  • You sleep better without racing thoughts and middle-of-the-night checking rituals.
  • Confidence returns as you prove to yourself that you can handle uncertainty.

I-CBT ACT Therapy Options

Alternative Approaches When ERP Isn't Right

Not everyone feels ready for traditional ERP, and that’s okay. Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) focuses on correcting the faulty reasoning that creates obsessional doubts, helping you distinguish between imagination and reality. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) takes a different approach entirely. Instead of fighting thoughts, ACT teaches you to accept them while committing to actions aligned with your values. You learn to live meaningfully even when uncomfortable thoughts arise. Both approaches have strong research support and offer hope for those who haven’t found success with other treatments or prefer alternatives to traditional exposure work.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Support is here. Our counselors provide a safe space to talk, heal, and move forward—at your pace.

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Call: 612-875-1890

Common questions about Ocd Therapy

Most people begin seeing meaningful improvements within 8-16 weeks of consistent treatment. Research shows that substantial benefits typically occur after completing 60-100 exposures combined with response prevention. However, everyone’s timeline is different based on symptom severity, treatment approach, and how actively you engage in the process. Some notice changes within the first few sessions, while others need more time. What matters most is that with the right treatment approach, OCD is highly treatable and you can expect significant improvement in your quality of life.
ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) involves gradually facing your fears while resisting compulsions, helping you learn that anxiety naturally decreases without needing to perform rituals. I-CBT (Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) focuses on correcting the faulty reasoning that creates obsessional doubts in the first place, teaching you to distinguish between imagination and reality. ERP works “downstream” after anxiety has already formed, while I-CBT works “upstream” to prevent obsessional doubts from forming. Both are evidence-based approaches, and the choice often depends on your specific symptoms and preferences.
Absolutely. You can continue taking medication while doing therapy, and many people find this combination helpful. Research shows that ERP combined with medication can be more effective than medication alone for many people. However, ERP by itself often provides lasting benefits that continue after treatment ends, while medication benefits typically require ongoing use. We’ll work with you and your prescribing doctor to ensure your treatment plan is coordinated and effective. The goal is to give you the tools and confidence to manage OCD symptoms long-term.
This concern is incredibly common, and you’re not alone in feeling this way. Many people with OCD experience thoughts that feel taboo, disturbing, or shameful – about harm, sexuality, religion, or other sensitive topics. These intrusive thoughts are actually a normal part of OCD and don’t reflect your true character or desires. As OCD specialists, we’ve heard it all before and understand that these thoughts are symptoms, not reflections of who you are. Creating a safe, non-judgmental space where you can discuss these experiences openly is essential for effective treatment. Your courage in addressing these thoughts is actually a strength that will serve your recovery.
If you spend at least an hour daily dealing with repetitive thoughts and behaviors that disrupt your life, relationships, or work, you likely need specialized OCD treatment rather than general counseling. OCD requires specific, evidence-based approaches like ERP, I-CBT, or ACT. Regular talk therapy can actually make OCD worse by providing reassurance or encouraging avoidance. Signs you need OCD-specific treatment include: checking behaviors, repetitive washing or cleaning, mental rituals, needing things “just right,” or intrusive thoughts that cause significant distress. We offer a research-based assessment to help determine if OCD treatment is right for you.
It’s completely normal to feel apprehensive about ERP – facing your fears intentionally can seem counterintuitive. That’s exactly why we start gradually and build your confidence step by step. We never throw you into the deep end. Instead, we create a hierarchy of exposures, starting with situations that feel manageable and slowly working up to more challenging ones. If traditional ERP feels too overwhelming, we also offer I-CBT and ACT approaches that don’t require direct exposure work. The key is finding the approach that feels right for you while still being effective. Remember, the temporary discomfort of treatment is much less than the ongoing suffering of untreated OCD.
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