OCD Therapy for Adults in Michigan
Making room for life again.
You feel stuck in an endless loop of fear and doubt.
Maybe you feel you’ve already tried it all.
Talk therapy seemed to make it worse. You’ve devoured self-help books, tried every coping skill, vented to people you trust, or simply hoped it would eventually go away — yet intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors still hijack hours of your day.
You’re not “going crazy” — it could be obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
And with the right kind of care, it can get better. When met with an evidence-based approach that targets OCD at its core, this once-relentless spiral can loosen — even if nothing else has worked.
You may be:
Experiencing unwanted thoughts, mental images, or urges that feel distressing, horrifying, confusing, or completely out of character
Finding yourself mentally checking, reviewing, or analyzing your thoughts or memory (“Did I think that wrong?”, “What if I missed something?”)
Repeating physical actions like checking locks, washing, counting, or seeking reassurance from yourself or others
Avoiding situations, people, or responsibilities that trigger anxiety or unwanted thoughts
Spending large amounts of time trying to feel “right,” certain, or safe
Worrying that having these thoughts means something about who you are, what you want, or what you might be capable of
Perhaps you already know that the scary thoughts are irrational or unlikely — so why does it still feel so real?
This is one of the most frustrating parts of OCD. People with OCD are often insightful, self-aware, and logical — and still experience intense, overwhelming anxiety in response to intrusive thoughts. That’s because OCD doesn’t respond to logic. It functions more like an oversensitive smoke alarm, interpreting uncertainty itself as threat rather than responding to actual danger — which is why OCD requires a specialized approach to tackling it.
OCD, The Shape Shifter
OCD can involve any topic, but certain themes are especially common. Many people worry their thoughts are too unusual or disturbing to be OCD—yet these themes are widely recognized and treatable.
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Harm OCD
Unwanted thoughts or fears about hurting yourself or others, even though you have no desire to do so. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I stab someone?” “What if I lose control and hurt my child?”Pedophilic OCD (POCD)
Fears of being or becoming a pedophile, with intense anxiety and mental checking to prove you are not. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I’m attracted to children?” “What if this means I’m dangerous?”Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD)
Unwanted doubt about sexual orientation.
Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I’m actually gay/straight/bi and don’t know it?” “What if I’ve been lying to myself?”Gender Identity OCD (GI-OCD)
Anxiety-driven doubts about your gender identity that feel intrusive and inconsistent with your sense of self. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I’m actually trans?” “What if my gender isn’t what I thought?”Suicidal OCD
Intrusive thoughts or images about suicide without any intent to act on them, often followed by reassurance seeking or avoidance. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I jump?” “What if I secretly want to die?”Religious Scrupulosity OCD
Excessive fear of sinning, offending God, or being spiritually “impure,” with repeated prayer or reassurance seeking. Example intrusive thoughts: “Did I just blaspheme?” “What if I go to hell for this thought?”Moral Scrupulosity OCD
Extreme fear of being unethical, dishonest, or harmful, with mental reviewing or confession to feel certain you are “good.” Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I’m a bad person?” “What if I lied or manipulated without realizing it?” -
Contamination OCD
Fears about germs, illness, dirt, toxins, or being “contaminated,” leading to washing, cleaning, or avoidance. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if this surface is toxic?” “What if I spread disease to my family?”Mental Contamination OCD
Fear of being mentally or morally “contaminated” by thoughts, people, or experiences (e.g., fear of “going crazy”), with avoidance or mental rituals to feel clean or safe. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if I catch their craziness?” “What if that thought corrupted me?” -
Fears of causing harm through mistakes or negligence, with repeated checking (locks, stoves, driving memories) or reassurance seeking. Example intrusive thoughts: “Did I leave the stove on?” “What if I hit someone and didn’t notice?”
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A need for things to feel exact, balanced, or complete, with arranging, counting, or repeating until it feels right. Example intrusive thoughts: “This doesn’t feel right.” “I can’t relax until it’s perfect.”
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Relationship OCD (ROCD)
Intrusive doubts about your relationship, partner, or feelings, with reassurance seeking, comparison, or rumination. Example intrusive thoughts: “Do I really love them?” “What if they’re not the right person?”Retroactive Jealousy OCD
Obsessions about a partner’s past relationships or sexual history, with mental replaying, questioning, or comparison. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if their ex was better?” “What if I can’t handle their past?” -
Obsessive awareness of automatic body processes (breathing, blinking, swallowing), with attempts to control or monitor them. Example intrusive thoughts: “Am I breathing wrong?” “What if I forget how to swallow?”
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Intrusive doubts about reality, consciousness, meaning, or existence, with endless mental rumination. Example intrusive thoughts: “What if nothing is real?” “What if I’m in a simulation?”
Therapy That Helps
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for OCD and is:
Evidence-based and highly effective — supported by decades of clinical research
Personalized to your specific fears and compulsions
A way to face fear without surrendering to rituals
A pathway back to your values, life goals, and relationships
The ERP Path
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We take time to understand how OCD shows up for you — the patterns, triggers, and ways you’ve learned to cope, for better or worse. This usually begins with one or two sessions focused on exploring what your symptoms look like and how they interfere with your life. It’s also how we determine whether OCD is the right diagnosis, or whether something else may better explain what you’re experiencing.
I use a structured assessment tool to help us map your symptoms, including past experiences that may no longer feel relevant but still influence how OCD operates today. Seeing the full picture helps us get to the core of OCD — understanding its patterns so we can begin developing a more skillful way of responding to it.
Once we’re oriented to how OCD shows up for you, we begin looking more closely at how it works.
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We spend time looking closely at how OCD operates — what’s happening in the brain and nervous system, the patterns and cycles that keep anxiety going, and the subtle ways OCD pulls you toward certain responses. We also explore why specific steps — like facing fears and refraining from compulsions — are necessary to interrupt the cycle.
OCD can feel confusing and overwhelming, but at its core it operates in a surprisingly simple, predictable way. With clarity, its patterns become easier to recognize in the moment. Confidence grows within you. This understanding doesn’t make the work effortless — but it does make it workable. It becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
With a clearer view of the pattern, we can begin identifying where change is possible.
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Together, we identify the situations, thoughts, sensations, and uncertainties that trigger anxiety — ranging from subtly uncomfortable to deeply distressing. Rather than rushing into the hardest things first, we take time to map this terrain thoughtfully, noticing where avoidance and rituals tend to show up.
This map becomes our guide. It allows us to move with intention and care, ensuring the work is challenging enough to foster change while still feeling manageable and sustainable.
Rather than avoiding what feels difficult, we start practicing a different relationship to it.
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At your pace, we intentionally and skillfully approach the thoughts, urges, and situations that trigger OCD — with guidance and support, and without engaging in compulsions or reassurance.
With repeated practice, your nervous system learns that fear and uncertainty can be present without requiring action or avoidance. Anxiety is allowed to rise and fall on its own, and the urgency to perform rituals gradually loosens. This is where the OCD cycle begins to unwind — and where you start responding with greater choice and freedom.
Over time, these moments of practice begin to shape how you move through daily life.
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ERP is not about erasing fear — it’s about learning that OCD doesn’t have to run your life. You get to kick it out of the driver’s seat.
Through continued practice, reflection, and support, the skills you’ve been developing begin to take root. Over time, compulsions lose their urgency, anxiety becomes more workable, and you grow more confident in your ability to respond rather than react. The work becomes less about managing OCD and more about living your life with greater freedom and intention.
When to Seek Help
If you wonder that you might have OCD.
When symptoms start affecting your daily life, such as personal, relational, or work-related aspects.
If persistent distressing thoughts and compulsive behaviors are causing significant distress or disruption.
Difficulty finding joy or fulfillment in life.
Any worries or concerns regarding symptoms.
Desire for support or treatment to address OCD or related symptoms.
OCD has a way of quietly convincing you that life must be lived on its terms — carefully, narrowly, and around fear.
Evidenced-based therapy for OCD can help your nervous system learn — through experience — that intrusive thoughts and fear can arise without requiring action. As this learning takes hold, many people find that their lives begin opening up again.
“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.”
Pema Chödrön
Frequently Asked Questions about OCD Therapy
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There isn’t a single timeline. Many people begin noticing meaningful shifts within a few weeks or months, while others benefit from longer-term work depending on symptom complexity and life context. Therapy moves at a pace that is intentional and sustainable.
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The short answer is: Yes, at first. The longer answer is: ERP involves approaching anxiety rather than avoiding it, which is inherently uncomfortable at first. The goal is not to overwhelm you, but to help your nervous system learn — through experience — that fear and uncertainty can be tolerated without compulsions or avoidance.
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Not necessarily — and that’s actually an important part of OCD therapy to understand. Intrusive thoughts are a normal part of how the human mind works, and therapy isn’t about eliminating them. Instead, treatment focuses on changing how you relate to the thoughts when they show up, so they carry less urgency, distress, and power over your actions.
Over time, many people notice that intrusive thoughts become less frequent or less intense — but more importantly, they stop running their lives.
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OCD exists on a spectrum. If thoughts, rituals, or avoidance are taking up time, energy, or peace of mind, therapy can still be helpful.
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No. ERP is collaborative and intentionally paced. While growth does involve discomfort, it also requires a genuine sense of agency. You are not asked to do exposures without preparation or choice, and the work unfolds gradually rather than all at once.
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ERP is a central component, but it’s not the only one. We also use other techniques like acceptance and commitment therapy as well as parts work, if appropriate. Therapy is adapted to your goals and what is going to be most supportive to you.
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You don’t have to share anything until you feel ready.
This is a very common fear for people with OCD. Many worry that sharing their thoughts could somehow make them “come true,” confirm something about who they are, or mean that they are dangerous or at risk of acting on them. Part of therapy involves helping the brain relearn a crucial distinction: thoughts are thoughts. Intrusive thoughts on their own are not threats, omens, intentions, or plans.
Intrusive thoughts are mental events — not evidence, predictions, or intentions — and therapy helps your nervous system learn that difference through experience, not reassurance.
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That’s okay. The early part of our work involves careful assessment and clarification. If what you’re experiencing isn’t OCD, we talk about that openly and consider what approach might be best for you. Therapy is for understanding and helping what’s actually happening.
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Yes. We are in-network with
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Aetna
Aetna Better Health of Michigan
For other insurance providers, we are considered out-of-network, though we can provide superbills for those wishing to utilize out-of-network benefits.
We also accept private pay clients.