Diving Deeper into Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard therapy for treating OCD, as well as other anxiety-related disorders, including Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, Phobias, Illness Anxiety, and Generalized Anxiety.
ERP helps people gradually face feared thoughts, images, sensations, objects, and/or situations while resisting the urge to perform a compulsion or avoid. This allows the person to respond differently to their fear by teaching their brain that anxiety is something they can handle while developing new learning about both tolerating uncertainty and the feared stimulus.

Yes and no— the ultimate goal of ERP therapy is to confront feared and avoided stimuli to practice responding differently to allow your brain to develop new learning
However— this will be done gradually, working collaboratively with your therapist. You will never be forced to do something that you are not willing to do.
I emphasize values-based ERP, where exposures are intentionally chosen to reduce avoidance and support meaningful engagement in your daily life

ERP is an active, skills-based approach that helps you change the behaviors that perpetuate the OCD/anxiety cycle. With me in therapy sessions, we will engage in exposure work, while having homework outside of sessions to continue to practice these newly learned skills.

Yes, homework is a vital part of ERP therapy. It is discussed and agreed upon prior to sessions concluding. While engaging in exposure work for 45-60 mintues 1x per week in therapy is great, it is not enough to defeat OCD. We’re building a new muscle and that muscle require consistent and repeitive practice as much as possible.

Per the International OCD Foundation (ICODF), “On average, patients achieve a reduction of 60% of OCD symptoms, along with reductions in general anxiety, depression, interpersonal stress, and functional interference. Accordingly, ERP is recognized as a first-line, evidence-based treatment for OCD. “

Per IOCDF, ERP has shown to be effective in children as young at 6 years old, and all throughout adulthood. As a graduate of IOCDF’s Pediatric Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI), I tailor ERP to meet children where they’re at developmentally and emphasize the importance of including family in treatment.