OCD Therapy in Atlanta + Norcross

About 1 in 40 adults has or will develop OCD at some point in their lives.
Approximately 1 in every 100 children in the U.S. experiences OCD.
(International OCD Foundation)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a commonly experienced but often misunderstood condition. Our counselors can help you correctly identify and manage it.

What is OCD?

OCD is sometimes presented in popular culture as a simple preference for order or being overly neat. However, this mental condition is far more complex. Research has shown that it can take some patients as long as 12 years to get an accurate OCD diagnosis. This is why, if you suspect you may have it, it’s important to go to a specialist so you don’t have to struggle for years without knowing.

OCD involves living with obsessive, intrusive thoughts and urges, known as obsessions. OCD also causes you to perform repetitive acts or behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) to reduce the anxiety caused by obsessions.

Are You Struggling with OCD?

When considering seeking therapy for OCD, ask yourself the following:

• Do you deal with unwanted, persistent, intrusive thoughts that bring significant distress in your everyday life? Do these thoughts scare you and sometimes pose a threat to what you value most (i.e., thoughts of upsetting others, going to hell, causing danger to you or someone you love, etc.)?
• Do you believe that by doing a behavior or going through a mental act, your anxiety will reduce? If so, does the anxiety return soon after?
• Does the idea of not doing a certain mental ritual or behavior cause unbearable anxiety?
• Do these obsessions and compulsions take over an hour of your attention each day?
• Do you avoid certain people, places, or situations in an effort not to feel anxious and uncomfortable?
• Do you feel like you need to get rid of a thought by doing or thinking something else?
• Do you feel caught in an anxious loop, vacillating from an anxious impulse and then following through with an urge that only makes the impulse stronger?
• Do you need to “feel right” before moving on from a place or activity, even when others are able to move forward with ease?

Do any of these questions sound like something you’ve been through? If so, then you’re in the right place, and we can help.

“OCD demands certainty. Treatment offers something better: freedom.”
— Dr. Steven Phillipson

“OCD lies. Therapy teaches you how to stop listening—and start living again.”
— Justin Hughes, LPC

How Does Therapy Help with OCD?

The Simplify Life team employs the most researched and best-practiced psychological methods to treat OCD. We have spent extensive amounts of time researching, training in, and practicing different therapies, so whatever type of OCD you have, no matter how obscure, we can help you!

Our approach includes:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). With a focus on learning to change negative feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, CBT is one of the most effective methods for treating OCD.
• Psychoeducation. To master your condition, we help dispel the myths and misinformation surrounding obsessive compulsive disorder. We’ll help you better understand how to work with your brain’s unique chemistry and thought patterns instead of feeling like you’re fighting against them. We direct you to podcasts, books, and other resources so you can be as informed as possible, enabling you to recognize and address OCD symptoms when they happen.
• Family Education. Helping families affected by OCD is also a key component of the therapy process. By educating family members about your OCD, we give them the tools to help recognize and support your healing. We help your loved ones understand that the growth process is something the entire family can help with. We refer clients to resources from Kelly Quinlin, Justin Hughes, and a few other sites/podcasts, as well as Brain Lock.
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). This specific form of CBT involves exposing you to feared situations in an intentional manner that allows you to build resistance to your compulsions. This process may occur during or in between sessions and is always tailored to your needs and comfort level. When appropriate, we include loved ones or family members as well, helping them build healthy responses to your behaviors to widen your support system. This helps increase the success rate, since it ensures that family members are helping to exhaust, not enable, the OCD.

The proper treatment plan for your OCD will depend on your exact obsessions, compulsions, and other mental health needs. Common obsessions include fears of contamination, harming others, or requiring order. Compulsions such as excessive cleaning, researching/mining for information, or counting of items are common. However, OCD can present in many forms, such as:

• Contamination OCD: Fears about illnesses, germs, and contaminating oneself or others.
• Pure O: Having obsessions and compulsions, but the compulsions are covert and internal.
• Scrupulosity: Morality and spiritually related obsessions.
• Relationship OCD: This can look like anxious attachment, but is far more anxiety-inducing and time-consuming.
• Health OCD: Experiencing obsessions about having a serious medical condition.
• Relationship OCD: Rumination and questioning a romantic partner or relationship.
• Harm OCD: Fears of hurting or harming others.
• Homosexual OCD or HOCD: Fear of being gay/straight/or any other orientation than the one you identify with.

No matter what your OCD symptoms look like, we can help you identify and manage them.

Ready to Simplify Your OCD?

The thoughts and behaviors associated with OCD can feel overwhelming and all-consuming, like a daily mental prison. And while you might struggle with OCD, you are not defined by it. Your symptoms don’t have to ruin your life. At Simplify Life, we help people develop the tools to manage their OCD and live with more freedom. Call our office to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help you manage OCD.

FAQs About OCD Therapy in Georgia