Intrusive Thoughts
Unwanted, distressing thoughts that feel ego-dystonic, including harm OCD, POCD, taboo or violent thoughts. ERP helps reduce the compulsive response; the relational work explores the meaning the mind has assigned to them.
OCD & ERP Therapy · Austin, TX & New York
OCD treatment that goes
deeper
than the symptoms.
Specialized OCD therapy using ERP alongside deeper analytic work, addressing not just the compulsions but what drives them. In-person in Austin, TX and telehealth across Texas and New York.
Get in Touch The ApproachThe Approach
ERP and the deeper work, together.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for OCD, and it works. But for many people, symptom management alone isn't enough. The compulsions quiet down and then return. The themes shift. Something underneath keeps driving the cycle.
The deeper work addresses that something. The shame that makes certain thoughts feel catastrophic. The self-doubt that feeds reassurance-seeking. The fear of responsibility, difficulty with uncertainty, the need to know - these are the things OCD latches onto. ERP interrupts the cycle; the analytic work looks at why it started.
The combination supports more lasting change than either approach alone. Symptoms quiet. The patterns underneath shift too.
Jen holds specialized training in OCD and ERP through Austin Anxiety and OCD Specialists, alongside ongoing psychoanalytic training through the Houston Psychoanalytic Society and the Austin Psychoanalytic Society. This isn't a surface-level integration. It's a clinical identity.
Currently accepting new clients →"ERP addresses the compulsions. The deeper work addresses what drives them. Both matter."
OCD Presentations
What this work addresses.
Compulsive Rumination
Mental reviewing, analyzing, and reassurance-seeking that masquerades as problem-solving. Rumination is often the core of OCD and requires specific treatment focus, not just exposure work.
Relationship OCD (ROCD)
Obsessive doubt about romantic relationships, family, or friendships. ROCD sits at the intersection of OCD and attachment, which makes the deeper relational work especially relevant here.
Health & Scrupulosity OCD
Obsessive fear of illness, contamination, or moral wrongdoing. These presentations often carry deep layers of shame and self-judgment that benefit from more than behavioral intervention alone.
How It Works
What the work looks like.
Understanding the Cycle
OCD treatment begins with mapping the specific obsessions, compulsions, and avoidance patterns, along with the emotional logic holding them in place. Understanding the function of OCD within a person's inner world is part of what makes treatment meaningful.
ERP with a Relational Container
Exposures are done within a therapeutic relationship built on genuine understanding, not as a protocol applied from outside. The safety of the relationship is what makes it possible to tolerate uncertainty and sit with discomfort.
The Deeper Work
Alongside ERP, the psychodynamic work explores what OCD has latched onto, including core beliefs, relational wounds, and patterns of self-criticism or shame that keep the cycle going long after the compulsions have quieted.
FAQ
Common Questions
What is ERP therapy for OCD?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for OCD. It involves gradually facing feared situations or thoughts while resisting compulsive responses, breaking the cycle over time. Here, ERP sits within a broader analytic framework - addressing not just the behaviors but what underlies them.
How is psychodynamic therapy used in OCD treatment?
It helps identify what OCD has latched onto - shame, self-doubt, fear of responsibility, difficulty tolerating uncertainty. ERP handles the compulsive behavior; the deeper work handles the soil it grows in.
Do you treat all types of OCD?
Yes. Jen works with the full range of OCD presentations including harm OCD, ROCD, POCD, health OCD, scrupulosity, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive rumination. Treatment is tailored to the individual.
Is ERP the only treatment you use?
No. ERP is the primary tool for OCD symptoms, and it works. But it's held within a broader analytic framework. For clients who want to understand not just how to manage OCD but why it developed, that deeper work is where things actually shift.
Do you offer telehealth OCD therapy?
Yes. OCD therapy is available via telehealth across Texas and in New York through Attune Psychotherapy.
How much does OCD therapy cost?
Sessions start at $175, with sliding scale availability. In Austin the practice is private pay. In New York, Aetna and Cigna are accepted through Attune.
Get in Touch
Ready to reach out?
Location
1706 Nueces St, Austin, TX 78701
Phone
(512) 956-7263
Fees
Sessions from $175 · Sliding scale available · Private pay (Austin) · Aetna & Cigna (New York)
Currently Accepting
New clients in Austin and New York
If you've done ERP before and felt like something was missing, or if you're looking for OCD treatment that takes your whole inner life seriously and not just the symptoms, this work might be a good fit. Reach out for a brief consultation.