OCD Therapy in Whitefish Bay, WI

Milwaukee therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Having obsessive compulsive disorder can be incredibly isolating.

You may be scared of your own thoughts. You might be scared to tell other people what your thoughts are. Will they judge you? Will they trust you?

You may feel stuck and forced to complete compulsions that take up more and more of your time.

Maybe you feel like not doing something a certain way will cause harm to you or your family.

Your thoughts don’t say anything about who you are as a person or about your desires.

OCD consists of two parts, the obsessions and the compulsions. If you think you may have OCD but are unsure of your compulsions, consider things like reassurance seeking, checking behaviors, researching anxieties online, mentally undoing or redoing things.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is incredibly unique from person to person. That is why it is of the utmost importance you find a therapist who can tailor treatment to your needs. Different forms of OCD include, Contamination/Cleanliness OCD, Scrupulosity/Religious OCD, Harm OCD, Relationship OCD, and many more, but all can be treated using Exposure Response Prevention.

Exposure Response Prevention Therapy

ERP therapy is a behavioral therapy that slowly introduces people to situations designed to provoke a person’s obsessions in a safe environment. I know this sounds terrifying. But It’s done in a very purposeful, slow, and gradual way, keeping you well within your window of tolerance.

Have you ever seen a really scary movie? I bet the first time you watched it, it was terrifying! Maybe you covered your eyes, or jumped out of your seat at the scary parts. The most uncomfortable part of a scary movie is the uncertainty of not knowing what is going to happen next. However, if you watch the movie two or three times, it becomes less scary because you already know what happens. Challenging our obsessions works the same way! In ERP we call that habituation.

An important part of ERP is that it doesn't completely remove distressing situations and thoughts. To attempt to remove all triggers from your life would be doing you a disservice, as life will always include some distressing parts. Instead, we work together to increase your tolerance of uncertainty.

All obsessions and compulsions can be confusing and distressing.

Maybe you feel compelled to touch, tap or rub objects and if you don’t- it just feels wrong.

Maybe you doubt your own memory. You worry you may have stolen something at the store or run over an animal on your way to work without realizing it.

Maybe you are constantly worried you or a family member has a serious illness and spend countless hours on Web MD in an attempt to make your anxiety go away.

Maybe you have some “magical thinking” and think something bad will happen to your family if you don’t say “I love you”, or if you don’t look at the clock every night at 10:09 before you go to bed.

All of this is OCD and all of this can be treated! You don’t have to go through these symptoms alone and recovery from OCD is possible!! ERA Wellness has clinicians familiar with OCD and trained in Exposure Response Prevention Therapy. Exposure Response Prevention therapy (ERP) is the gold standard for OCD treatment.

Are you ready to recover from OCD?

Do you think Exposure Response Prevention might be helpful for you?

FAQs About OCD Therapy:

One of the most pervasive myths about OCD is that it is intrinsically related to cleanliness and orderliness. Sure, some individuals OCD may manifest as cleaning or organizing compulsions. However, many types of OCD have nothing to do with cleaning! And most people who are extremely orderly and cleanly do not have OCD!
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that can occur spontaneously or can be prompted by an experience in a person's environment. Intrusive thoughts can be common in OCD. The content of your thoughts has nothing to do with who you are as a person or your desires.
Oftentimes, treatment for OCD requires a therapist with lots of training and experience in OCD specific disorders. Most OCD therapists will be trained in Exposure Response Prevention Therapy. You are always welcome to schedule a consultation to see if we may be a good fit!
Nope. Frequently, when people don’t notice any physical compulsions they are actually engaging in “mental compulsions''. Mental compulsions are just as dangerous as physical compulsions. Examples of mental compulsions are avoidance, rumination, mental reviewing, and self reassurance. These compulsions can be tricky to spot because they may be deeply ingrained habits and not observable by friends and family.
At ERA, we have several tiers of clinician pricing. You can find our full fee schedule here: https://www.erawellnesstherapy.com/fees
An intake (first session) ranges from $60-$200 depending on the clinician, ongoing 50 minute sessions range from $50-$150 depending on clinician. At times, we do have some sliding scale spots available. If this is needed, please ask your clinician during the consultation call.