Exposure and Response
Prevention.
Break free from the cycle of OCD
ERP is the most effective treatment for OCD, with research showing 60-80% of people experience significant improvement. It works by gradually teaching your brain that you can handle uncertainty without relying on rituals.
Retraining the Brain
OCD thrives on avoidance. Every time you perform a compulsion (washing, checking, reassuring), you briefly feel better, but you reinforce the message that the obsession was dangerous. This makes the anxiety stronger next time.
ERP breaks this cycle. By gradually facing your fears (Exposure) while resisting the urge to perform rituals (Response Prevention), you teach your brain two things: first, that the feared outcome is unlikely to happen, and second, that you can tolerate anxiety until it naturally subsides.
Safety First
The idea of facing your fears can be terrifying. That's why ERP is done gradually. We never force you to do something you aren't ready for.
We start with challenges that cause mild anixety and work our way up as your confidence grows. You remain in control of the pace at all times.
The Roadmap
How ERP works in practice.
Assessment
Mapping out your specific triggers, obsessions, and compulsions to understand your OCD loop.
Hierarchy
Creating a 'Fear Ladder'—ranking situations from least scary to most scary.
Exposure
Starting with easier items, we practice facing the trigger together in session.
Prevention
We practice sitting with the feeling without doing the compulsion. This is where the rewiring happens.
Habituation
Over time, your brain gets bored of the fear. The anxiety drops naturally.
What We Treat
Common OCD themes.
OCD is a shapeshifter. We treat all subtypes, including:
Dispelling Myths
Truths about treatment.
REALITY: ERP is gradual. We create a hierarchy together. We might start with looking at a picture of a spider before we ever think about being in a room with one. You set the pace.
REALITY: Safe, effective ERP is about tolerating uncertainty, not putting you in actual danger. We never ask you to do anything unsafe. The distress is temporary, but the freedom is lasting.
REALITY: Trying to suppress thoughts actually makes them louder (the "Pink Elephant" effect). ERP teaches you to allow the thought to be there without interacting with it.
REALITY: Brain plasticity is real. People of all ages, with lifelong OCD, see massive partial or full remission with ERP. It requires work, but it works.
Our Specialists
Meet your ERP therapists.
Our therapists have specialized training in ERP and treat OCD as a primary focus of their practice.
Sara Banks, LCSW
Specialties
Specializes in OCD and anxiety using ERP and CBT approaches.
Dr. Jonathan Woodin, PsyD
Specialties
Expert in OCD, intrusive thoughts, and anxiety disorders using ERP.
Nagla Mostafa, LMFT
Specialties
Uses ERP for OCD and anxiety within relationship and family contexts.
Ready to Face Your Fears?
Your life is waiting for you on the other side of fear.