OCD Therapy For Teens, Adults, & Children in Agoura HIlls, CA

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can range from “small” daily nuisances to significant functional challenges that, if left untreated, can create a real detriment to your quality of life.

If you or your child struggle with symptoms and behaviors related to OCD—including but not limited to fears of contamination, rituals, frequent checking, and incessant thought loops—you may feel like life has spun out of control. Going anywhere at all may have become an arduous task as you battle through so many thought loops and rituals just to get out of the house. But the cycle of OCD is just beginning, and throughout the day, you may find yourself focusing on things like counting, de-contaminating, and just getting back to a space that feels safe and not so anxiety-inducing.

Treating OCD is all about managing your fears and the feeling that you have lost control, and together in therapy, we can get you to a place where the cycle is no longer ruling your life.

a hand trying to place pencils in an upright positions

What Does Life With OCD Look Like?

There are many ways that OCD presents, including intrusive thoughts, self-harm, and uncontrollable fears around relationship security, among others. Symptoms vary but may include:
● Fear of germs or getting sick
● Unwanted or “forbidden” thoughts (often involving sex, religion, and cultural taboos)
● Fear of losing control in front of another person
● A strong need for symmetry and order

● Excessive cleaning, handwashing, arranging
● Repeated checking or counting
● Other compulsive behaviors that provide a sense of short-term relief from overwhelming thoughts and feelings

Where Does OCD Come From?

OCD is an anxiety disorder, and symptoms of OCD are usually a stress response to life events that generate trauma, confusion, or upheaval. While some research suggests that obsessive-compulsive disorder stems from genetics, environmental factors, and brain dysregulation, there is no conclusive why behind OCD’s origins.
Furthermore, a lot of people with OCD understand that their thoughts and behaviors aren’t rational, yet the need to engage with compulsions is so overwhelming that it becomes their only source of relief. This can create a lot of shame and frustration, intensifying the feeling of being
“out of control.”
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most effective forms of counseling for treating OCD—and it’s available at Child & Family Therapy Center, among other tools and treatment approaches that can help you or your child find relief that actually lasts.

ERP, CBT, And Other Effective OCD Treatments Are Available Through Child & Family Therapy Center

Anxiety disorders are the most common issue we treat at our practice, and our therapists have a lot of experience working with OCD-related symptoms. Therapy for OCD is available for teens,
children, and adults, individualized to each client’s age/development, severity of symptoms, and experience with past treatment(s).

Our Approach

There are a handful of proven, effective therapy methods that are recommended when treating OCD, and they include:

● Exposure Response and Prevention (ERP) – considered the “gold standard” of OCD treatment, this therapy gently and safely exposes clients to their fears as their stress/trigger response becomes increasingly reduced through the process of habituation.
● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – acknowledging the ways that fear distorts the thought process, this approach helps clients challenge the thinking patterns that drive OCD.
● Sensory Grounding Exercises - incorporating the five senses in a way that regulates the nervous system, clients learn grounding techniques and strategies for self-soothing. Approaching your fears and behaviors with a curious, nonjudgmental attitude, we can begin to break down the self-reinforcing cycle of distress and temporary relief.

Our therapists understand that at its root, OCD feeds off fear and the idea that you are not in control. But just as you or your child developed responses to manage overwhelming thoughts and emotions before, you can learn new ways of coping that won’t intensify the OCD cycle. As you
adopt a healthier, more adaptive mindset, you will be able to see that you have the power to stop the compulsions and behaviors that rob you of your time, energy, and resources.

Common Concerns About Therapy For OCD…

I have/my child has a very full schedule and cannot always attend therapy sessions with regularity.

There are some aspects of OCD treatment that can be flexible in terms of scheduling. However, the efficacy of therapy corresponds with consistency as treatment goals change and fluctuate. In particular, when Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is introduced, it is very important to maintain a consistent follow-up schedule so that symptoms and OCD-related distress levels can be monitored.
We always aim to make room for scheduling flexibility but know that this process works best when commitment is focused and consistent. If you have concerns around making time for therapy sessions, let your therapist know, and they will collaborate with you on a plan forward.

Being exposed to my fears in therapy will just make my OCD symptoms worse.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is all about the cycle of avoiding fear and distress, so it makes sense that you’d be concerned about symptoms worsening in therapy. Yet, at the core of healing and symptom reduction is a committed decision to confront your fears so they are no longer dictating your life.
Our therapists have seen firsthand how ERP helps clients overcome fear and distress by slowly and effectively processing these stressors in the safe, professional space of therapy. With our help, clients experience freedom from stress and compulsions—and a true presence of mind, often for the first time in years.

I’ve been living with OCD for years—it will take too long for therapy to make a difference.

While ERP and CBT are both proven OCD treatment methods, counseling through our practice is never meant to be a “one-size-fits all” experience. Part of individualizing therapy to your needs is understanding what your OCD symptoms are, how long you have been living with them, how they have impacted your life, and which treatment methods have or have not been successful in the past.
As therapists, our goal is to help you overcome your struggles quickly and thoroughly, and we’ve seen our treatment approach work time and time again in meeting this goal for clients.

Confront Your Fears So You Can Live Fully

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and other proven treatment methods are used at the Child & Family Therapy Center to help teens, children, and adults overcome symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). For more information, schedule a consultation with one of our OCD specialists.

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