Therapy for OCD

At Beyond Measure, we understand how debilitating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be, not just because of rituals or intrusive thoughts, but because of the fear, shame, and confusion that often accompany them. If you’re living with OCD, you may find yourself stuck in exhausting mental loops, overwhelmed by anxiety, or unsure how to explain your experience to others. Our goal is to help you find clarity, relief, and confidence in navigating life without being dominated by obsessive-compulsive patterns.

Our approach to OCD therapy is tailored, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based care. We provide treatment for teens and adults in Redwood City and across California via secure telehealth.

We work holistically to help clients explore how OCD manifests in both thought and behavior, and how it may be entangled with other areas like anxiety, eating patterns, identity, or trauma.

Understanding the Experience of OCD

OCD is often misunderstood, especially because it shows up differently for different people. For some, it includes visible rituals, like checking, washing, or counting. For others, it’s invisible but equally consuming, taking the form of persistent intrusive thoughts, mental compulsions, or fears of harm. What all of these presentations share is the sense of urgency, distress, and repetitive thinking that interrupts daily life.

At Beyond Measure, we also recognize that OCD often coexists with other challenges. Many clients who come to us for OCD therapy have a history of anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or eating disorders. Part of our work is helping to untangle those threads so we can understand the full picture and develop a plan that actually works for you.

What You Might Be Struggling With

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to reach out for help. If any of the following sound familiar, therapy could be a powerful next step:

You experience intrusive, distressing thoughts or mental images you can’t seem to turn off
You feel compelled to perform mental or physical rituals to reduce anxiety
You avoid certain people, places, or objects because of fear of contamination or harm
You’re constantly seeking reassurance from yourself or others to feel okay
You feel stuck in your own mind and exhausted by your thoughts
You’ve tried to manage OCD on your own but nothing has worked long-term
Your symptoms are impacting your relationships, work, or daily functioning

Our Approach to OCD Treatment

Therapy for OCD at Beyond Measure blends warmth and clinical precision. We start by getting to know you and how your OCD shows up, not just symptomatically, but also emotionally and relationally. That might mean talking about the fear underlying the compulsion, the shame that keeps you silent, or the ways it has impacted your self-image.

Treatment modalities we employ include:

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): the gold-standard treatment for OCD, gradually facing feared thoughts, situations, or images (exposure) while resisting the urge to engage in compulsions (response prevention)
Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT): a newer treatment focusing on how OCD is fueled by doubts and faulty reasoning, challenging the mistaken beliefs and inferences that lead to obsessions, and promoting clarity, confidence, and trust in one’s own reasoning

While Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is often a key component of effective OCD treatment, we recognize that it is daunting to expose yourself to the very thing you’re most inclined to avoid.

Sometimes, we need to start with helping you feel safe enough to begin exploring your internal world. We will work collaboratively with you to begin the process of exposure in a way that feels realistic and empowering to you. We will never force you to do an exposure that you do not agree with, and we will never expect you to do anything that we would not do ourselves.

Treatment often includes collaborating with your therapist to create an exposure hierarchy, a list of challenges arranged in order of difficulty and designed to help you expand your comfort zone in a systematic and controlled manner. Exposures may include real-life challenges completed in-session with your therapist, imaginal exposures that involve mentally confronting feared situations and scenarios, and specific goals to complete in between sessions as “homework.”

We know that the process can feel scary and distressing. That’s why we move at a pace that honors your readiness while still working toward meaningful change. Therapy isn’t about eliminating every intrusive thought. It’s about helping you respond differently, with more awareness, choice, and compassion.

What You Can Expect in OCD Treatment

Whether you’re starting therapy for the first time or returning after previous treatment, here’s what the process typically includes:

An initial intake to understand your history, symptoms, and goals
Education about the nature of OCD and how it impacts your mind and body
Exploration of the “obsessional sequence” and how it plays out in your daily life
Collaborative development of a treatment plan that fits your needs and values
Creation of a personalized exposure hierarchy to guide you in gradually facing fears and building confidence, step by step
Tools to notice and respond to intrusive thoughts without reinforcing them
Support in identifying compulsions and practicing new behavioral responses
Exploration of emotional or relational patterns that may influence OCD

When OCD Intersects with Other Parts of Life

OCD rarely exists in isolation. We often work with clients who are also navigating eating disorders, health anxiety, trauma, or neurodivergence. Some clients aren’t even sure if what they’re experiencing is OCD— they just know they feel overwhelmed, controlled by thoughts, or constantly afraid of making a mistake.

In those cases, we create space to explore the full picture. We consider your cognitive patterns, emotional experiences, and physical well-being. For example, if OCD is linked to food rituals or compulsive exercise, our therapists collaborate closely with our registered dietitians. If your compulsions are rooted in early attachment wounds, we can gently unpack those dynamics over time.

Our team is especially attuned to the nuances of how OCD can show up across gender, culture, and lived experience. We strive to honor that complexity in our work together.

OCD Treatment for Teens and Young Adults

When OCD Intersects with Other Parts of Life

Adolescents and young adults are among those we see most often for OCD treatment. Many teens struggle to articulate what’s happening inside their mind, especially if their OCD includes taboo or distressing intrusive thoughts. Parents often notice signs, such as avoidance, school refusal, excessive checking, without knowing how to help.

We provide developmentally appropriate support to teens and their families, with a focus on building trust, education, and collaborative problem-solving. For young adults, therapy can also include work around independence, identity, and navigating mental health during college or early career stages.

How We’re Different

We’re not here to pathologize you—we’re here to understand you. That means recognizing OCD not as a personal flaw, but as part of your experience that you can learn to navigate with skill and self-compassion. In fact, the same traits that often fuel OCD, like creativity, caring, and conscientiousness, can also be powerful strengths. Our approach is collaborative, respectful, and always paced to meet you where you are.

Take the First Step Toward Change

You don’t have to navigate OCD alone. With the right support, you can build new pathways in your brain and find more freedom in your life. Whether you’re ready to begin treatment or simply want to understand your experience more clearly, we’re here for you.

📞 Call: (650) 332-9583
🖥️ Book Online: Free 15-min Consultation
📩 Email: info@beyondmeasuresfbay.com

Reach out to start
your healing journey today.

(650) 332-9583

Free 15-min Consultation