Absolutely! Working on reducing family accommodation of OCD is a component of most clients’ treatment with us. We prioritize including family members, spouses, parents, and children in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders because we know the ramifications of the disorder can be widespread. Past clients have described it as “feeling like OCD holds my family hostage.” We work with all impacted members of the family to release them from the clutches of OCD.

We have experience helping infants as young as 6 months stop skin-picking and hair-pulling and have helped children as young as 4 begin on the road to recovery from OCD. We are comfortable and experienced in working with all ages and pride ourselves on using a “wraparound” approach where we treat the whole family, sometimes using 2 or more clinicians on the same case to provide holistic and effective care that works quickly.

Click here to learn more about how we work with families affected by OCD and anxiety.

The need for medication is determined on a case-by-case basis. Many clients report good symptom reduction from the ERP, ACT, and CBT treatments alone. Scientific studies also support the efficacy of these treatment techniques and show that medication is not always necessary. For clients who do not respond adequately to behavior therapies, we discuss the option of taking a Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SRI). Many clients who work with us have fears and concerns about taking medication, often related to their OCD/anxiety symptoms. This is a dilemma we’re familiar and comfortable working with and you should bring any fears and concerns you have directly to your clinician. We have good, working relationships with multiple medication prescribers that we refer our clients to and will also support you around any ambivalence you may have about taking medication.

Length of treatment is dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, your level of motivation and readiness for change, how often you are able to meet for sessions, the severity of symptoms and how long you have had them, etc. Even once the bulk of treatment is completed, clients often return for “booster sessions” to refresh on skills or check in.

To treat anxiety disorders (including phobias, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety) and OCD we use a combination of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive-Behavioral techniques (CBT). These are considered the ‘gold-standard’ in treatment for anxiety disorders and OCD. We also incorporate a good amount of psychoeducation (learning about your symptoms), mindfulness strategies, and call upon adjunctive therapeutic techniques and services when appropriate. Research shows that about 70% of people diagnosed with OCD benefit from ERP and we have found it to be a highly effective treatment module for most anxiety disorders.

Get in touch with us as soon as possible! The sooner we can address the symptoms, the easier they will be to treat. Even if the symptoms feel, at the time, like a small intrusion, it is important that you reach out to your clinician in order to maintain past gains.

We’ve worked with some fairly intensive cases over the years and have confidence in the treatment techniques we use as well as our strong referral network. For clients whose symptoms are severely impacting their daily functioning, we might discuss a referral to the outpatient program at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital (OCDI), the Child & Adolescent OCDI at McLean Hospital (OCDI Jr.), or the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program (MAMP) for more intensive support. Clients are typically then referred back to us at the completion of treatment for continued outpatient work.

Therapy with a qualified OCD and anxiety specialist is an investment. Most insurance plans place a lot of restrictions on how therapists are allowed to conduct therapy and this limits the scope of our work. For instance, most insurance plans make it difficult to obtain coverage for out-of-office ERP sessions or home visits, which are often necessary to properly treat OCD. Private pay is a flexible option that allows us autonomy as a treatment team where, together, we can decide what will be the most effective treatment plan for you. On average, people diagnosed with OCD visit 3-4 doctors and spend 12 years seeking treatment before they are correctly diagnosed and matched with a knowledgeable OCD specialist. When you add up the number of copays, time missed from work or school and other duties, and the stress and hopelessness, it becomes clear how working with an OCD specialist may be a wise investment. Add to that the fact that the right therapeutic interventions can work quickly to alleviate OCD symptoms and you’ve got a good argument for investing in your wellness.