Genesee Valley Psychology
Evidence-based therapy for Anxiety, Mood, and Substance-Use Disorders

OCD

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

 

skip to…

OCD SERVICES

PARENT TRAINING

OCD RESOURCES

What is ERP?

Exposure and Response Therapy (ERP) is the gold standard treatment for OCD

ERP means approaching things that make you anxious (Exposure, ex. touching a door knob) without engaging in rituals (Response Prevention, ex. not washing your hands). ERP is hard, and extremely powerful. GVP therapists are trained in guiding you through the principals of ERP and working alongside you each step of the way. Before you know it, we bet you will be surprising yourself!

We believe in doing ERP from a Justice-Based perspective, meaning we do not denigrate people or communities when practicing ERP. To learn more about Justice-Based ERP methods, see this free talk hosted by the International OCD Foundation, interviewing our director, Dr. Lauren Wadsworth

Don’t believe us? Ask people that have been through our program!

"When I started considering ERP for OCD treatment, I would have done just about anything to feel better. Part of me felt like I had so much to lose. The only thing I ended up losing was the grip and trap of 24/7 OCD and gained unparalleled happiness and freedom. ERP tremendously changed my life for the better and I would strongly encourage anyone with OCD to give it a try." -Jen

Don’t believe them? Ask the world experts!

ERP even works for kids!

  • Just like in adults, we can defeat OCD in kids using ERP

  • For a great podcast talking about exposure therapy with children, click here

Individual Services

  • 1-2 sessions of therapy per week

  • All of our individual OCD therapists are trained in providing ERP

  • We treat adolescents and adults

  • We offer Telehealth/Teletherapy

  • To get connected with an OCD Therapist, click here

Rochester OCD Groups

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Exposure/ERP Group: The most powerful and effective treatment for OCD is exposure therapy (ERP). That being said, exposure is hard to do, especially alone. For that reason, we have OCD Exposure Groups where you can learn skills and do exposures to treat your OCD, in a supportive and fun setting. ERP Groups are drop in style and happen:

    • Mondays 5:15-6pm (in person)

    • Tuesdays 5:15-6pm (zoom)

    • Fridays 12-12:50pm (zoom)

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Support Group (Wednesdays 1-1:50pm): The OCD support group offers people a supportive environment to connect with others who have OCD. We discuss challenges, strengths, strategies, and build skills together.

  • ACT Willing Group for OCD (Thursdays 4-4:50pm): We know doing ERP can be hard! The goal of this group is to support you in increasing your willingness to engage in treatment and move toward the life you want. Each week will involve a different activity designed to remind you why OCD recovery matters to you and encourage you to keep taking steps on your recovery journey, whether you're on day 1 of ERP or day 10,000.

  • OCD Family Support & Skills Group (First Wednesdays of the Month): The OCD Family Support and Skills group is for loved one of people with OCD (partners, friends, parents, etc.). The group provides a supportive space to learn skills that will help you reduce accommodation and support your loved one’s treatment.

ocd therapy

Intensive OCD Program

  • We offer Intensive therapy for individuals with OCD who would like treatment in an expedited format (1-5 hours of treatment per day, for 1-3 months based on severity). Please contact us to learn more about these services.

“I can’t say enough about the intensive program you have developed, it honestly saved my life. I don’t know what state I would be in right now if I didn’t end up at your office. You have been so accommodating and understanding. The anxiety that I was experiencing before starting the intensive was eased the first day I met with you. Thank you. ”
— Carly (Intensive Participant)
“Thank you so much for everything. I have never seen my son like this. When I say you saved his life and gave him his life back it’s TRUE. He was so broken down and now he smiles and laughs again. He has good days and bad days but we are able to ride them out. I can never repay you for what you and your amazing staff do. I will always be grateful for all of you!!!”
— Shana (mother of Intensive participant)
SPACE Training for Parents of Anxious Children

Anxiety/OCD in Children - Parent Training

We offer personalized SPACE training. Please contact us to schedule.

Sometimes children/teens aren’t interested in treatment, but families are desperate for change. To meet this largely unmet need, one of our providers offers a SPACE workshop series. SPACE is a program that teaches parents how to reduce anxiety and/or OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) symptoms in their children, regardless of child engagement.

SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based program developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center. SPACE is designed exclusively for parents or caregivers and offers a systematic approach to reduce accommodating behaviors that maintain childhood anxiety. Parents learn to both support and empower their children to manage their anxiety while gaining confidence, applying practical tools and improving family relationships. Full parent participation is required.

To learn more about SPACE from the creators, see the following links:

https://theocdstories.com/episode/dr-eli-lebowitz-306 https://youtu.be/sRpOlsUncxI?list=TLGGFr1LYW0fyMkyMzExMjAyMQ
https://www.spacetreatment.net/

OCD Resources

OCD & Trauma or PTSD

  • At GVP we specialize in OCD and Trauma, as well as the overlap of OCD/Trauma. With collaborators at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, we developed the OCD Trauma Timeline Interview (OTTI) to help clinicians and clients understand the ways that OCD and trauma symptoms are presenting, and potentially overlapping.

OCD Websites

OCD Podcasts

Book Recommendations

OCD Resources for Families

 

Contact Us