Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Visit SoutheastOCD.com to learn more about our evidence-based treatment for OCD, related disorders, and anxiety.

“The core features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are recurrent obsessions or compulsions that are severe enough to take up significant time or cause marked distress or impairment in daily life.”

The intensity of OCD treatment depends on how well a person can complete exposure and response prevention (ERP) exercises and cognitive therapy homework. For mild to moderate OCD, treatment may include weekly office visits, ERP assignments to practice at home, and some therapist-assisted ERP sessions outside the office.

For people living with moderate to severe anxiety, effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often requires more than weekly office visits. In some cases, we may recommend our Intensive Outpatient Program to provide extra structure and support.

Because each person is different, we tailor OCD treatment to individual needs and adjust the plan as we go. After a thorough evaluation, we may recommend inpatient or residential treatment if a higher level of care is appropriate.

If you or someone you care about may be struggling with OCD, please call (256) 883-3231 to schedule a confidential appointment with a member of our team. Take a free Screening Test for OCD here.

Intensive Treatment OCD Treatment in Huntsville, AL

At Behavioral Sciences of Alabama, we provide intensive OCD treatment programs designed to help you reduce anxiety as quickly and effectively as possible. Our cognitive behavioral therapy approach, including exposure and response prevention, is the gold standard treatment for OCD, giving you practical tools to manage OCD and other anxiety disorders.

To learn more about OCD treatment, support groups, research, and related topics, visit the International OCD Foundation or explore the link below.

Screening Test for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and visit our website dedicated to the gold standard for treatment of OCD and related disorders.

Intensive OCD Treatment - SoutheastOCD.com

To see our website dedicated to the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, click the button below.

Southeast OCD

Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program

Our OCD program treats the full range of OCD-related and phobic disorders. As an institutional member of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF), Behavioral Sciences of Alabama offers intensive outpatient OCD treatment led by therapists trained through the IOCDF Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). Using cognitive behavior therapy with exposure and response prevention (the gold standard for OCD treatment), our compassionate, licensed counselors help individuals face, manage, and reduce their obsessions and compulsions.

Patients participate in therapy in real-life settings to help reduce anxiety and lessen the impact of obsessions and compulsions on daily life. Depending on each person’s needs and treatment plan, sessions may take place at home, in public spaces, in hospitals, at work, or in our therapy offices. These settings are chosen together by the patient, family, and treatment team.

A central part of our program is exposure and response prevention (ERP), an evidence-based treatment for OCD. We also use other research-supported approaches, including cognitive behavior therapy with cognitive restructuring, group therapy with psychoeducation, family support groups, and medication consultation when needed. To provide consistent, effective care, we typically work with patients who live within a 100-mile radius of our offices, although exceptions may be made based on the person’s OCD symptoms and available resources.

Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program

Our program was developed to address all OCD spectrum disorders and phobic disorders. As an institutional member of the International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF), Behavioral Sciences provides intensive outpatient OCD treatment by therapists trained through the IOCDF Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). Using cognitive behavior therapy, the gold standard in obsessive-compulsive disorder treatment, compassionate licensed counselors work with individuals to confront obsessions and compulsions.

Patients may engage in therapy in a variety of settings as required to reduce anxiety and the intrusion of obsessions and compulsions in their daily life. Home, public spaces, hospitals, work, and therapy office settings may be utilized depending upon the nature of obsessions and compulsions and the plan developed by the patient, the family, and the therapeutic team.

Key components of the program include exposure and response prevention (ERP). Empirically validated intervention includes cognitive behavior therapy utilizing cognitive restructuring, group therapy (including psychoeducational components), family support groups, and medication consultation as needed. To provide patients with effective treatment, we prefer to work with those available within a 100-mile radius of our offices. Exceptions may be made depending upon the nature of OCD symptoms and the available resources.

Steps to OCD Treatment

The first step is to use this link to reach SoutheastOCD.com, complete a screening test, and an office representative will contact you.

The second step is to meet with one of our professional counseling staff members for an in-depth evaluation. This process will also identify therapy goals and expectations. We will obtain a history that includes identifying the triggers for anxiety, previous therapy accomplishments, medication usage, and family history. There will be checklists and tests to complete, which will help identify symptoms and support the development of a collaborative treatment plan.

Next, we will outline an initial treatment plan. The plan will often include a combination of in-office treatment, outside treatment, and homework. You may work with different therapists on different days depending upon the objectives of OCD treatment. Each participating therapist will be part of your treatment team and will have helped develop your plan.

Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP)

One of the primary goals of CBT is to teach the patient the skills needed to directly confront fear-evoking stimuli without engaging in fear-neutralizing rituals. If this can be accomplished for a sufficient duration of time per trial and consistently across trials, the patient is likely to experience a natural reduction in anxiety and, more importantly, will eventually be able to go about his/her day-to-day activities without the need for elaborate rituals or avoidance repertoires.

Exposure (E) teaches patients to approach their anxiety or fear-producing stimuli. Response prevention (RP) entails the prevention of mental or physical rituals meant to reduce fear or anxiety.

We emphasize E/RP and use cognitive techniques with the goal of helping patients learn from repeated experiences that the feared consequences don’t occur and that their anxiety reduces over the course of time.

Upon completion of the clinical interviews, history, assessments, and after the patient’s treatment goals have been defined, the OCD treatment team meets in collaboration with the patient to target obsessions, compulsions, and avoidance behaviors. Interventions are planned with consideration given to the patient’s observed capacity to tolerate discomfort generally focusing on triggers that evoke moderate levels of anxiety.

Then, beginning with the moderate level, the patient gradually works up the hierarchy leading to the more difficult triggers. OCD treatment begins with psychoeducation to prepare the patient for the approach and methods for learning to habituate to triggers and tolerate anxiety. Medication consultations may be a part of this process, but generally, we prefer to take the patient as they are so that we are not changing too many variables at one time.

Other Mental Disorders

When treating OCD patients, we take into account coexisting depression and other conditions they may have. We have worked with patients with Asperger’s, bipolar disorder, depression (including teenage depression), and other disorders on a case-by-case basis. Our approach with other disorders is consistent with cognitive behavioral principles. We do not work with individuals who are recently suicidal, actively engaged in substance abuse, or those with intellectual functioning below a measured IQ of 80.

Family, Friends, and Other Participation

Part of our process involves the participation of family members and significant others in psychoeducation and our family support group. Family members and others may be enlisted to help with homework, especially in the area of ERP. Children always have a behavior modification component that includes reinforcement and contingency management.

Friends may accompany patients to facilitate social and other exposure. Teachers may be asked to participate in resisting reassurance and provide contingency management in the classroom. We consult with teachers, principals, and counselors in the schools when needed.

Relapse Prevention

OCD treatment plans can last from three to eight weeks. When nearing the end of a patient’s OCD treatment plan, we work with them to develop a relapse prevention plan consisting of group support, self-directed ERP, medication management, and therapist consultation as planned.

Our service area includes Limestone County, AL (Athens, Decatur), Madison County, AL (Madison, Huntsville), and Guntersville, AL.

Behavioral Sciences of Alabama is your solution for ADHD, anxiety, and life’s many problems. Come and visit us in Huntsville, AL (southeast Huntsville, near Parkway Place Mall). Call us from Guntersville, Madison, Decatur, and Athens at (256) 883-3231 to schedule your consultation with us.

Not All OCD Looks the Same in Kids: Why Symptoms Respond Differently to Treatment

Children and teens with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often struggle with a wide range of symptoms—from worries about germs and repetitive cleaning, to fears of harming others, counting rituals, or a powerful need for things to feel “just right.” But did you know that not all OCD symptoms respond to treatment in the same way?

Young girl enjoying a sunny day outdoors with a gentle smile.