OCD Therapy for Women
Specialized Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy for OCD, Intrusive Thoughts, & Compulsions in St. Louis, Missouri & Illinois.
When your thoughts feel distressing, overwhelming, and all-consuming and you feel unable to stop responding to them
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is often misunderstood. It isn't simply about being organized or liking things a certain way. OCD can involve distressing intrusive thoughts, relentless doubt, mental rituals, checking, reassurance seeking, contamination fears, and an overwhelming need for certainty. Effective treatment through ERP can help you reclaim your life.
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Many women with OCD are initially told they have anxiety because their compulsions aren't always visible. Instead of repeatedly washing their hands or checking locks, they may spend hours mentally reviewing conversations, seeking reassurance, researching online, replaying memories, or trying to "figure out" whether their fears are true.
Because these rituals happen internally, OCD can easily be mistaken for generalized anxiety.
An accurate diagnosis is important because OCD responds best to specialized treatment, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), rather than reassurance or simply trying to reduce anxiety.
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OCD often begins with a thought that feels urgent, frightening, or impossible to ignore.
"What if I left the stove on?"
"What if I contaminated my baby?"
"What if I hit someone while driving?"
"What if this intrusive thought means something about me?"
Unlike ordinary worry, OCD rarely responds to reassurance.
Even after checking, washing, researching, mentally reviewing, or asking someone else for certainty, the relief is usually temporary before the doubt returns.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone.
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Check doors, appliances, or locks repeatedly.
Feel responsible for preventing something bad from happening.
Wash, clean, or sanitize far beyond what feels reasonable.
Constantly seek reassurance from others.
Experience distressing intrusive thoughts you don't want.
Mentally replay conversations or events.
Avoid situations because they trigger uncertainty.
Feel like things need to feel "just right."
Know your fears seem irrational—but still feel unable to stop.
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Intrusive thoughts
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Constant checking and rechecking
Contamination fears
Excessive handwashing or cleaning
Mental compulsions
Reassurance seeking
Harm OCD
Relationship OCD (ROCD)
Responsibility OCD
"Just right" OCD
Perinatal OCD
Postpartum OCD
Scrupulosity
Fear of making mistakes
Constant doubt
Avoidance because of OCD
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OCD is frequently misunderstood, even by those living with it.
Many women spend years believing they simply have generalized anxiety because their compulsions are primarily mental or because they feel ashamed to talk about their intrusive thoughts.
I have specialized training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and work with women experiencing a wide range of OCD presentations, including contamination OCD, responsibility OCD, relationship OCD, harm OCD, perinatal OCD, postpartum OCD, and mental compulsions.
My goal is to create a space where you feel understood from the very beginning. You shouldn't have to convince someone that your distress is real, or fear being judged for the thoughts you're desperately trying to get rid of.
Common Reasons Women Seek Therapy for OCD
Intrusive Thoughts
Unwanted, distressing thoughts or mental images that feel frightening, disturbing, or inconsistent with who you are.
Mental Compulsions
Silently reviewing, analyzing, reassuring yourself, replaying memories, counting, or trying to "figure it out" in order to feel certain.
Checking OCD
Repeatedly checking appliances, locks, driving routes, text messages, or other situations to prevent harm or gain certainty.
Contamination OCD
Fear of germs, illness, chemicals, bodily fluids, or contaminating yourself or others through everyday activities.
Harm OCD
Distressing fears of accidentally or intentionally harming yourself, your baby, or someone else—even though these thoughts are unwanted and upsetting.
Relationship OCD
Persistent doubt about your relationship, reassurance seeking, questioning your feelings, or fearing you're with the wrong partner.
Responsibility OCD
Feeling excessively responsible for preventing harm, making mistakes, or ensuring nothing bad happens to yourself or others.
Perinatal or Postpartum OCD
Intrusive thoughts, checking, avoidance, and compulsions that develop during pregnancy or after childbirth.
Common Questions About OCD & Intrusive Thoughts
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While both involve anxiety, OCD is characterized by unwanted obsessions and repetitive compulsions aimed at reducing distress or gaining certainty.
A comprehensive evaluation can help determine whether you're experiencing OCD, an anxiety disorder, or both.
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Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, repetitive thoughts, images, or urges that can feel disturbing or frightening.
They are common in OCD and do not reflect your character, values, or intentions.
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Mental compulsions are invisible rituals used to reduce anxiety, such as mentally reviewing events, seeking certainty, replaying conversations, counting, praying, or trying to "figure it out."
They can keep the OCD cycle going just as much as visible compulsions.
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ERP is the gold-standard treatment for OCD. It involves gradually facing feared thoughts or situations while resisting the compulsions that usually follow, helping your brain learn that anxiety can decrease without seeking certainty.
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Reassurance may reduce anxiety briefly, but it reinforces the OCD cycle by teaching your brain that certainty is necessary.
Over time, this often leads to needing more reassurance rather than less.
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Yes. Pregnancy and the postpartum period can be times when OCD first appears or becomes more intense. Many women experience intrusive thoughts during this time, and specialized treatment can help.
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Many people experience significant improvement with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.
Some also choose to combine therapy with medication, depending on their symptoms and preferences.
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Yes. I provide virtual Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for women throughout Missouri and Illinois experiencing OCD, intrusive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors.
REASONS TO BOOK
REASONS TO BOOK
CLINICALLY TRAINED
You’re drawn to therapy that goes beyond symptom relief—a space with a curious, reflective, and empathetic therapist who helps you uncover the unconscious origins of your thoughts, feelings, and relational patterns, and understand how they continue to shape your present experience.
DEEP, INSIGHT-ORIENTED APPROACH
Therapy can be challenging work, and having a skilled, clinically trained therapist by your side makes all the difference. After transforming my own career from attorney to therapist, I completed several years of advanced clinical training at both the St. Louis and Chicago Psychoanalytic Institutes. This depth of training allows me to look beyond symptoms alone, helping you understand the underlying patterns that keep you feeling stuck.
I am also clinically trained in ERP, which is the gold standard treatment for OCD.
WARM AND APPROACHABLE
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable. My goal is to make the process feel approachable by creating a space where you feel comfortable being yourself, asking difficult questions, and exploring what matters most to you.
