Exposure & Response Prevention in Pittsburgh & Online Across PA
Identity-Affirming OCD Treatment for LGBTQ Adults in Pittsburgh, PA
Perhaps you’re a new parent in the throws of newborn life, and you just got diagnosed with OCD. You’re too embarrassed to tell people because you’re afraid they’ll be freaked out by what goes on in your head. You worry people won’t believe you because you seem so put together on the outside. Or they’ll chalk it up to normal post-partum anxiety.
As a queer person, you’ve accepted and possibly had to fight for who you are. This has brought deeper self-awareness, but your OCD has latched onto the things that you care about the most. A part of you knows these fears are not real, but another part can’t shake the possibility that they could come true. The crushing feeling that you must do a compulsion or else something terrible will happen has become unbearable. Your OCD doesn’t define you and there is a path forward to more inner peace. I offer Exposure and Response Prevention to LGTBQ individuals who are looking for identify-affirming care.
You are not your thoughts, and they don’t need to control your life anymore.
Are you a Queer person in Pittsburgh, feeling crushed by the weight of your OCD?
Whether you’re a new parent, healthcare worker, or career professional, OCD has disrupted everything in your life.
Your hands are cracked and bleeding from constant handwashing. You and your partner are fighting because they don’t wash the dishes the right way.
You question your gender and sexuality. You have thoughts like “I think I’m gay but what if I’m wrong. How do I know if I’m really gay?” Or “I think I’m transgender but what if I’m wrong. How do I know I’m really trans?
You have constant fears that you’ll accidentally drop your baby or that they'll get sick from germs. You check your baby constantly to see if they are breathing and avoid changing their diaper.
You’e in a polyamorous relationship and constantly question whether you want to be poly and worry you’re making the wrong choice. You ask yourself if you’re just avoiding intimacy and ruminate on what labels to use for your partners.
You’ve been wondering if you have Relationship OCD. You constantly ask if you’re sexually attracted to your partner enough or if your relationship is passionate enough. If you’re queer question whether you or your partner are maculine/feminine or queer enough.
You’ve been in talk therapy before but you don’t feel better. The more you try to understand the ‘why’ behind your anxiety, the worse you feel.
What Is Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of cognitive behavior therapy designed specifically for treating OCD. Unlike traditional talk therapy that might focus solely on understanding your thoughts, ERP therapy involves actively facing your fears while learning to resist compulsive behaviors.
The treatment works through two essential components:
Exposure Component: Gradually confronting situations, thoughts, or stimuli that trigger your obsessions in a safe, supportive environment.
Response Prevention: Learning to resist performing compulsive rituals or behaviors that you typically use to reduce anxiety.
Through this process of habituation, your brain learns that the feared situations aren't actually dangerous, and your anxiety naturally decreases over time. Research shows that 60-80% of individuals who complete ERP therapy experience significant reduction in OCD symptoms.
Online Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for LGBTQ Individuals, Parents, and Career Professionals in Pittsburgh,PA
As a parent, you barely have time for yourself as it is. If you’ve been diagnosed with OCD, online ERP can provide you treatment from your home. Maybe you’re balancing parenting with tight deadlines and long hours at your job. Sitting in traffic to get to an in-person therapy session may not be an option for you. You just don’t have the time, nor the bandwidth.
I offer Exposure and Response Prevention therapy virtually to individuals who live in Pittsburgh. Evidence has shown that online ERP can be just as effective as in-person treatment, and has its own unique benefits. Your compulsions may happen in your home, which allows you to practice exposure therapy activities with support from a trained therapist.
Exposure and Response Prevention helps you learn how to tolerate your own anxiety.
Together We’ll
Assess for the specific type of OCD and how it impacts your life.
Track your obsessions and compulsions, and create a list of the fears you want to address.
Create an exposure exercise based on one of your least distressing fears. This process is collaborative and led by you.
Practice your first exposure exercise in our session while I coach you to resist using your compulsions.
Debrief after each exposure exercise to explore what you learned about your anxiety. We’ll rate your anxiety on a scale of 1-10 to see how you’re responding to the treatment.
Implement exposure exercises in between sessions for homework and continue working on resisting your compulsions
Discuss ways to manage your OCD flair ups when you’re done treatment so you can become your own ERP coach.
ERP isn’t about getting rid of your thoughts, but rather reducing the power they have over your life.
ERP is a good fit…
You’ve been diagnosed with OCD or are questioning whether you have OCD
You can attend a one hour therapy session once per week
You are able to commit to ERP homework in between sessions
You’re queer, trans, a millenial or a parent
ERP is not a good fit…
Mental health issues need to be addressed first, like substance use and PTSD
You are unable to attend therapy sessions on a weekly basis
You are unable to commit to ERP homework consistently or most of the time
You’re looking for an approach to explores the ‘why’ behind your struggles
What Makes My ERP Approach Different
My practice combines evidence-based ERP therapy with deep understanding of marginalized identities and complex mental health needs. I recognize that perfectionism and people-pleasing – common among my clients – can complicate ERP work. We'll address concerns about doing exposures "perfectly" as part of the treatment process.
I also understand the intersection of OCD with:
Eating disorders and body image concerns
Gender dysphoria and transition
Trauma and attachment wounds
Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities
This comprehensive understanding allows me to tailor exposure and response prevention to your specific context and needs.
Is ERP Therapy Right for You?
ERP therapy can benefit adults and teens experiencing:
Intrusive thoughts that won't go away despite logic or reassurance
Compulsive behaviors that interfere with daily life
Significant time spent on obsessions or compulsions (over an hour daily)
Distress about thoughts or urges that feel contrary to your values
Previous therapy that hasn't adequately addressed OCD symptoms
During our free 20-minute consultation, we'll discuss whether ERP is the right treatment approach for your situation. Sometimes building stability and coping skills comes first before diving into exposure work.
ERP helps you move through your anxiety instead of running from it
Together, let’s break the cycle of OCD and see a brighter future.
Questions?
FAQs
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My office is located in Philadelphia, so I offer online ERP to folks residing in Pittsburgh.
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Yes, but it needs to be adapted in a neuro-friendly way, rather than going by the book. Sensory needs must be considered when doing exposure-work and some neurodivergent folks need breaks when they are feeling overwhelmed. Together we’ll identify your specific sensory needs, and build in breaks throughout treatment. Instead of challenging your sensory needs, I accept them and aim to accommodate them in treatment.
ERP works best when it is collaborative, especially for neurodivergent people. This means you set the goals for your treatment and how you want your life to look when your OCD is manageable. Sometimes that means your OCD doesn’t go away completely but the thoughts aren’t nearly as loud. The emphasis can be more on freedom to spend your time rather than your OCD doing that for you. Instead of focusing on eliminating anxiety, exposures are viewed as a way that to build more flexibility when responding to stressful situations
Neurodivergent-affirming ERP pays attention to how societal norms impact goal setting. Some folks may feel pressured to set short-term goals that require them to mask more and suppress parts of themselves. This can get exhausting very quickly, and may not be sustainable long term. Affirming ERP asks clients to set goals that are aligned with their long-term needs, abilities and overfall authentic self.
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Gender OCD is a subtype of OCD where it latches onto questions around gender identity. It is caused by your brain’s difficulty with tolerating uncertainty, not a desire to transition. Genetics, brain chemistry, and stress all contribute to developing OCD, including Gender OCD. Gender identity is fluid and complex, making it the perfect target for OCD to latch onto with relentless questioning. The core struggle of OCD is needing absolute certainty, when most aspects of life don’t provide that. Gender OCD has the same struggle but those intrusive thoughts focus on your gender. Gender-affirming Exposure and Response Prevention will help you separate true OCD thoughts from authentic expression of your identity.
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Yes, I provide gender-affirming online therapy for OCD with advanced training in Exposure and Response Prevention. As a queer therapist, I have years of experience helping transgender individuals address their OCD while holding space for authentic gender exploration. I truly believe queer people tend to be self-aware,by having to explore their identity in a world that is binary and limiting. OCD targets the self-reflection and questioning that comes with queerness, and can feel like an attack on the things you care about the most. I help trans folks separate their true values from OCD thoughts that conflict with who they are at their core.
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Postpartum OCD does not have a set timeline, but usually develops within the first few weeks to months after childbirth. While every parent experiences some intrusive thoughts in the postpartum period, OCD takes those fears to the next level. Normal postpartum anxiety tends to fade on its own while postpartum OCD will persist for weeks or months if left untreated. Exposure and Response Prevention and/or medication are recommended as the first lines of treatment for OCD.
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Success depends on the therapeutic fit of the client and therapist, as well as the client’s ability to complete ERP homework between sessions. Studies show that approximately 75% of people see some improvement in symptoms while 25% drop out of treatment.
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can cause short distress and a spike in anxiety in the beginning of treatment. This can feel daunting when you’ve already been struggling with anxiety for so long. If an ERP therapist rushes the exposure process, you might feel flooded and overwhelmed, leading to an abandonment of treatment. ERP is also demanding of your time and energy, with weekly one hour sessions and daily ERP homework.