A Guide To Working With An OCD Therapist
OCD can make you wish your brain had an “off” switch. However, it is possible to manage the repetitive thoughts that come along with OCD. Learn more about how working with an OCD therapist can help you manage your symptoms and feel more in control of your brain.
Obsessive compulsive disorder, commonly referred to as OCD, is widely known but also widely misunderstood. This can leave those with OCD feeling misunderstood and desperate for help from a therapist who “gets it”. Obsessive compulsive disorder typically includes intrusive thoughts that reoccur even when they are unwanted and even if the person knows they may not be true or accurate.
In an attempt to manage these thoughts and the anxiety they create, the person feels compelled to complete certain rituals or behaviors. Over time this cycle becomes disruptive and time consuming. In this article we clarify some of the misinformation about obsessive compulsive disorder, share treatment options and explain how to work with a local therapist to create the right treatment plan for you or your loved one.
How OCD therapists can help
OCD leaves a person feeling stuck in a pattern of repeating behaviors and unwanted intrusive thoughts they just can’t seem to get away from. It’s a frustrating cycle that like many anxiety disorders can leave many patients feeling like their symptoms are running, and maybe ruining, their lives.
However OCD patients today can find some peace in knowing that OCD treatment has come a long way and treating OCD is now more likely than ever to bring a reduction in OCD symptoms and an improvement in quality of life.
Treatment methods that OCD counselors use
OCD impacts about 1 in 100 adults in the United States and many therapists will be familiar with its hallmark symptoms and may even be aware the most common obsessions and common compulsions. However, there are many different forms of therapy and treatment, and it will take a therapist familiar with OCD treatment to know which approaches have been identified as most effective.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND ERP
Research shows that a form of cognitive behavioral therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention is one of the most effective treatments for OCD. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on the belief that many psychological struggles stem from flawed thoughts and the behavior patterns that develop from them. Identifying problematic thoughts and learning better ways to cope is the goal.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) applies this framework to the specific symptoms of OCD by exposing the client to situations that provoke fears and obsessive thoughts, but restricting them from performing the compulsive behaviors they typically use in response.
The goal is for clients to experience their fears and get through the experience without using their compulsions and see that nothing bad happened. This can create some initial discomfort and is most often done in individual sessions after developing a treatment plan. Your therapist will typically focus on more minor fears initially, gradually focusing on more significant fears as you make progress.
COPING SKILLS AND EXPERIENTIAL THERAPIES
Anxiety plays a large role in OCD and learning specific techniques for dealing with physical symptoms of anxiety can be helpful. Knowing how to use breathing exercises, movement, yoga, art making and other body based experiences can provide temporary relief from the discomfort of anxiety symptoms. Ideally, a patient will use these coping skills for self-care as part of a healthier life style.
Medication
Your psychiatrist may prescribe medication to help reduce OCD symptoms-often selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed. The positive effects of these medications may not be felt for several weeks and it is often recommended to pursue therapy in combination with taking medications. The good news is the International OCD Foundation reports that about 70% of people diagnosed with OCD respond well to a combination of cognitive behavior therapy and medication.
Possible benefits of working with an OCD counselor
Working with a mental health professional to treat OCD ensures you will have support as you tackle your unwanted thoughts and the anxiety they create. A therapist who specializes in treatment for OCD will be familiar with the proven treatment approaches backed by research, such as responsive prevention therapy, and will use these as the basis of your OCD treatment. They will understand the role of medication and can work alongside your doctor to combine both talk therapy and medication in your OCD treatment.
UNDERSTAND YOUR Obsessive compulsive disorder
Mental health issues can be easier to tackle when we learn more about our diagnoses, related disorders, and how treatment is intended to work. Treating OCD and anxiety disorders can include sharing psychoeducational information with you about what is known about obsessive compulsive disorder, the brain, and how our brain and body respond to anxiety. Therapists may provide you with a fact sheet, discuss terminology and even explain brain functions to help you understand your disorder and your treatment.
Increase your confidence
Response prevention therapy increases your ability to tolerate discomfort. While this has obvious benefits for managing OCD, it can have a positive impact in other areas of your life as well. ERP therapy builds on gradual successes, allowing you to gain confidence in how you tolerated discomfort and made it through a situation before moving on to the next, slightly bigger, challenge. Seeing proof of your progress in making it through difficult situations can be a confidence boost with impacts beyond your therapy appointments or your OCD diagnosis.
Regain control
Intrusive thoughts by definition feel like they are out of your control. These unwanted thoughts can wreak havoc on your daily life and the time and mental energy spent fighting them, worrying about them, or completing compulsive behaviors in response to them can take over your life. Working with your therapist can help you regain a sense of control as you see your efforts reaping real results and realize that you can make a change.
Our approach as an OCD therapist
Our OCD therapists want to help you achieve all those benefits- a greater understanding of yourself, increased confidence and a renewed sense of control. We know the research and have witnessed the powerful impact of treatment.
By offering OCD therapy in Broward county we provide you with a local expert that can offer you access to several treatment types, for both children and adults. We understand that OCD takes an emotional toll and can lead to isolation, related disorders and even depression, and we believe our flexible programs and range of services make us uniquely able to help.
A therapeutic learning program can accommodate young people who need therapeutic support during the day and may be able to help your student with obsessive compulsive disorder find a flexible environment to meet their academic, social and therapeutic needs. Evolve Learning Community, where Christina Sullivan and several of our therapists work, offers a therapeutic summer camp as well as facilitated social outings for neurodiverse teens throughout the year that could help your teen with OCD find a sense of belonging and connection.
We can also work one on one with clients from elementary through adulthood. Our compassionate approach to treatment is based on acceptance. We want you to know that your obsessions are not who you are as a person, we understand the fear and anxiety that are at the heart of your struggle with OCD and we want to help.
FAQs about working with an OCD counselor
It is a vulnerable feeling to ask for help but remember that mental health professionals are there to help so don’t let fear stop you from getting support. It’s normal to feel anxious about seeking help and it’s important to ask questions to find the right therapist. Understanding the process can help so let’s explore some of the most common questions around working with an OCD therapist.
What types of OCD can an OCD counselor treat?
OCD does not have official or universally agreed upon labels for various types but it is helpful to think about obsessions as falling into common categories. An OCD counselor can help with any of these, and if you feel unsure whether your unwanted thoughts fall in to any of these categories this does not mean a counselor cannot help.
Ordering and Arranging
These are obsessions most commonly featured in stereotypes about OCD. The stereotype is a person who needs things neat and tidy at all times but in reality it goes beyond that. These obsessions may include things like having all labels in a cupboard facing the same way and may require the person making frequent adjustments to ensure these standards are met and experience distress and even fear if they are not.
Contamination and Cleaning
Another common misuse of the OCD label is casually referring to those who clean their homes often as OCD. In fact, contamination and cleaning obsessions are not effective ways to keep a clean home, they are negative thought patterns that can lead to hand washing excessive enough to damage the skin and compulsive cleaning at the expense of other activities. These compulsions are completed to help the person manage fears of contamination that could otherwise cause crippling anxiety.
Unacceptable Thoughts
These unwanted thoughts are distressing and often include actions the person finds immoral and deeply disturbing. They are often aggressive or sexual in nature and to quiet these thoughts the person must perform some specific option.
Checking
These types of obsessive thoughts are based in fears of making an error by overlooking something and thereby hurting oneself, others, or causing some other type of loss or harm. People with checking obsessions may have to do something repeatedly to satisfy themselves that it was done and checked enough.
How do I know if I need a psychologist for OCD or an OCD therapist?
There may be a wide range of mental health professionals in your area, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors or therapists. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can prescribe medications for mental health issues. A psychologist has a doctorate degree and typically does not prescribe medication. A counselor or therapist usually has a master’s degree. All these professionals meet professional standards to be certified or licensed.
Counselors or therapists, as well as psychologists, provide talk therapy and depending on their specific expertise may both be able to provide effective treatments. Other than prescribing medication, deciding who you want to work with may depend more on their level of experience with your specific needs than on their degree.
Look for a mental health professional that has completed specific training in OCD and that has experience with OCD treatment. Ask for a consultation call and use that time to ask any questions you have about their approach and what to expect from your treatment. Sharing this information ahead of time can help you feel less anxious about entering therapy and can be a great first step in your relationship with your therapist.
Take back control with the help of an OCD therapist
The intrusive thoughts and anxiety over compulsions that comes with OCD can feel like they are taking over your life. An OCD therapist understands the fear and suffering this causes and can use cognitive behavioral treatment and response prevention therapy to help you regain control of your symptoms. The skills you learn in treatment can affect your confidence, help you in other areas of life and help create a healthier life.
We have experience supporting those with OCD and we believe our flexible range of services is unique. Our compassion and our knowledge can help you take back control. Give us a call at 954-440-2483 to learn more about our programs for children and adults and how our programs can help you and your family.