Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP/EXRP, is the gold standard treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Treatment involves a careful assessment of your particular obsessions and compulsions to develop a treatment plan to expose yourself to fears related to your obsessions (e.g., fears of contamination, harming yourself or others, things feeling ‘just right’) without engaging in the behaviors that serve to maintain the anxiety in the long-run (e.g., washing, checking, ordering, re-assurance seeking).  I offer this treatment as a weekly session or on an intensive basis, to make faster treatment gains. I recommend discussing which option would be better for you together as this is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. ERP can also be done as either a stand-alone treatment or with an adjunct therapy such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (see more information on that treatment here) .

If you are interested in learning more about ERP you can visit the International OCD Foundation here.