Dana Goldenberg Counseling

Are OCD Symptoms Disrupting Your Daily Life?

Do you experience obsessions and compulsions that take up your time and deplete your energy?

Have symptoms of OCD affected your interests, hobbies, work, school, or relationships? Perhaps you know you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, or you suspect that your thoughts and behaviors are consistent with those of OCD.

Whether you have received treatment for OCD before or not, therapy can help you learn more about yourself and your triggers. With guidance and support, you can manage your symptoms and experience freedom from your distressing thoughts and worrying behaviors.

The Symptoms Of OCD Create Obstacles For Living Truthfully

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is recognizable from worrisome and repetitive thoughts or obsessions paired with repetitive and disruptive behaviors or compulsions. One or both main symptoms may be present, and they may emerge at any point during someone's life from pre-school to adulthood.

People often get confused about whether they have an anxiety disorder or OCD. While both disorders can involve worrying and fear, the main difference is that OCD involves intrusive, repetitive thoughts (obsessions) that often lead to compulsive behaviors made in an attempt to reduce anxiety.

Having OCD Can Impact Many Parts Of Your Life

You might avoid certain people, places, or events because they trigger your symptoms, and that

likely impacts your relationships, your ability to function, and your overall satisfaction with life.

You might be told that you are controlling because you arrange your life so carefully to avoid

your triggers. Sharing your life with your friends and family can be more complicated because

they may not experience the same worries as you do.

You probably want to live life with the freedom to make any choices you wish to, without

worrying about triggering your OCD, and therapy at my practice can help you achieve that.

How OCD Presents Itself In People’s Lives

Individuals can develop OCD by inheriting it from a relative or from environmental causes, like

living with persistent high stress or experiencing past trauma. Women are especially vulnerable

to OCD, especially if they’ve had children, as it can commonly develop at the onset of the

postpartum period. Feeling the additional pressure to look a certain way or behave a certain

way can also exacerbate OCD symptoms in women.

No matter the cause, people with OCD behave similarly. They often experience social struggles

and avoid difficult conversations. They may be terrified of making mistakes and feel incapable of

standing up for themselves. In turn, people with OCD also commonly worry about their safety

and their health, saying the wrong thing, or embarrassing themselves due to their compulsions

as well.

OCD Is A Misunderstood Diagnosis

How often have we heard someone say, "I'm a little OCD" ? OCD might be one of the most

misunderstood diagnoses out there. These misconceptions and lack of information lead to people suffering in silence. It's important to remember that if someone does have symptoms of OCD, they aren’t “going crazy”--OCD is a common mental illness that can be managed.

OCD takes so much away from people in terms of time, independence, and their ability to live

authentically. The behaviors people compulsively act out on to alleviate their fearful thoughts

only tend to prolong their suffering. I am a therapist who specializes in OCD and can help you

understand yourself and your triggers better, getting to the root of your repetitive thoughts and

behaviors to challenge them.

OCD Therapy Can Help You Regain Control Of Your Behaviors

I applaud you for considering reaching out for treatment for your distressing symptoms. Whether

you have been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder or suspect you are struggling

with it, counseling can help you unpack your symptoms and find relief.

When you start therapy at my practice, I’ll help you see that there is nothing “wrong” with you

but that things likely “happened” to you that have brought you to this point in your life.

Additionally, I know how hard it is to trust others with your fears and compulsions. Still, once

we’ve established rapport in our relationship and confidence in the therapy process, you can

tackle OCD head-on.

Together, we will explore ways to pragmatically challenge your patterns and tendencies.

Therapy is not a quick overnight fix but is a commitment to the daily observation of your own

thoughts and behaviors and the use of strategies learned during sessions to help manage them.

Evidence-Based OCD Modalities

I utilize treatment methods in therapy that can help us identify the causes and triggers of your

OCD as well as the management of them.

Inference-based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (I-CBT) can help you become more aware of

what your mind and body are telling you while experiencing OCD symptoms. This method gives

you a different language to view the logic behind the things you believe that influence your

thinking and behavior.

I-CBT can help you challenge your thoughts and obsessions against the realistic odds of your

fears manifesting. Looking at the connection between your thoughts and behaviors can help us

explore unhelpful or painful experiences in your past that have skewed your logic system.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP), a first-line treatment for OCD (1), involves working

within the safety of a controlled therapeutic environment and gently exposing you to your fear

stimuli. This is done while, most importantly, not performing the compulsive behaviors you have

become accustomed to. Upon learning that you are safe even without the ritual compulsive

behaviors, you can learn that your thoughts are not a danger to you.

This method helps reduce the anxiety around the fearful thoughts as well. While ERP cannot get

rid of these thoughts, it can teach you how to avoid giving them the attention you used to or to

try and control them through compulsive behaviors.

Hope Is Possible Despite Your Experiences With OCD

It's critical to be kind and patient with yourself while focusing on gradual improvements and

achievements in therapy to successfully manage obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Through my therapy practice, I aim to empower you through psychoeducation, compassion, and

empathic support when working to confront triggers, compulsions, or obsessions. Counseling for

OCD can help you feel less burdened, frightened, or ashamed of your thoughts. It is possible to

feel more at peace within yourself and to feel more self-assured. I know the road has been

challenging with symptoms of OCD, but many others have gone on to take back control of their

behaviors, and I look forward to helping you achieve that too.

You Might Still Have Questions Or Concerns About OCD

Therapy…

Do I need to take medication to treat my OCD?

While medication is an option for treating the symptoms of OCD, therapy is an integral part of the process in that it allows you to confront and challenge your fears and associated compulsions in a safe environment. We can brainstorm and explore the possible benefits of medication or decide that psychotherapy will suffice.

While I don’t prescribe medication, I might recommend you reach out to a psychiatrist or your primary health care provider to follow up.

I am skeptical about the effectiveness of therapy.

Despite what you may think about therapy for OCD, evidence shows that it works, especially in combination treatment with medication. In fact, 70 percent of people will benefit from ERP and medication. ERP therapy conducted virtually (teletherapy) has also been shown to be effective.(2)

As a therapist, I've been able to confront triggering situations with clients virtually and can do the same for you.

I’ve tried therapy before and nothing changed. How will this be any different?

While you may have seen a counselor for your OCD in the past but have not managed your symptoms, you might wonder what went wrong. While I can’t predict what our rapport will be like in therapy, I can say that what you need is a therapist with a deep understanding of how OCD impacts you daily, which I can provide. I aim to provide a therapeutic dynamic that feels safe,

trusting, and effective and can help you trust your own judgment on whether my therapy practice is a good fit for you.

OCD Therapy