OCD ANXIETY Therapy IN PHILADELPHIA AND N. WILMINGTOn

What is OCD? 

OCD affects 1 in 200 kids and teens 

Many young adults are first diagnosed around age 19 but can occur at older and younger ages

It can be hard to tease apart OCD in young children where there may be developmentally appropriate repetitive behaviors and rigidity. 

OCD involves intrusive and obsessive thoughts that are upsetting to kids and teens

There is often a lot of shame around OCD so kids may not tell others they are struggling

· Intrusive thoughts may be related to:

o  Fears about being harmed

o Contamination fears

o Upsetting or violent images

o Fears that they may have or will harm others

o “Forbidden” topics of sexual, aggressive, or religious 

o Need for perfection or symmetry 

o Hoarding or keeping things, needing to “know” things or fear of forgetting 

Also involves repetitive behaviors that in the moment may help them feel safe but in the long run make OCD and anxiety worse. These can be observable behaviors but often is also mental compulsives such as praying, ruminating, or counting. Caregivers may not even notice. 

· Compulsions may include:

o Praying

o Checking 

o Asking parents/caregivers for reassurance. E.g asking parents: 

§ “Am I a bad person? 

§ Will I get sick?

§ Did I hurt my brother?

o Ruminating

o Handwashing

Caregivers also play an important role a child’s recovery because as parents we may be impacting anxiety even if we don’t mean to. Parent accommodation may look like providing reassurance, avoiding stressful situations because OCD says so, or not doing things a certain way because OCD says so. 

 Cognitive-behavioral Therapy usually involving Exposure with Response Prevention is the most scientific supported intervention and usually takes about 15 sessions to provide relief. Sometimes interventions start with only targeting parent accommodation, such as the Supportive Parenting of Anxious Childhood Emotions is a science supported intervention that may reduce OCD distress by working with the parents alone. 

I specialize in therapy with kids, teens, and young adults with OCD and anxiety disorders. I help you better understand the ways OCD interferes in your life and gradually learn to face the fears OCD is telling you so you can overcome them. If OCD is taking over you and your child’s life, I can support you to reduce anxiety and help your family take their lives back

It is important to choose an OCD therapist that understands OCD and has extensive experience providing E/RP. Treatment with a specialist is sometimes more costly but can help you improve quicker and over a shorter amount of time resulting in less financial and emotional resources over the long term. You will want to ask clinicians what techniques they use and make sure they discuss CBT or exposure/response prevention. Also, if they say they use CBT but are not more specific ask more questions until you are sure they are well trained to work with OCD. Find out about their training and background or what percentage of their caseload consists of OCD clients. Call or schedule a free consultation today. If we are not the right fit, we will help you find someone who is. We can also discuss ways to help with OON insurance reimbursement to help you get the therapy you need!