At Willow Behavioral Health, we tailor care to treat your specific type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Our team offers guidance and proven methods to help you rebalance your life.
What Is OCD? Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD involves having relentless thoughts and feelings that compel you to perform certain actions in an attempt to eliminate worry.
Contributors to this mental health condition can vary and aren’t definitive. It’s often likely a mix of:
- Your family tree
- Brain wiring that’s a little different
- Stressful or scary experiences
- Childhood events
OCD manifests differently in each person. Common signs include:
- Unwanted thoughts that return no matter how hard you try to ignore them
- Feeling driven to repeat certain behaviors (e.g., checking or washing)
- Spending hours on tasks that others complete quickly
- Strict routines that cause serious distress if interrupted
- Avoiding certain places or situations that trigger obsessions
- Examples of intrusive thoughts (e.g., “What if I left the stove on and burned the house?”)
Women with OCD sometimes focus more on contamination fears, while men may experience more symmetry-focused concerns. Children might have tantrums when prevented from completing rituals. Adults usually recognize their thoughts are irrational but feel powerless to stop them.
Different Types of OCD
This complex disorder can occur in various patterns, with symptoms that can change over time. Some common types include:
Primarily Obsessional OCD (“Pure O”): Experiencing distressing thoughts with mental rather than visible rituals.
Checking: Repeatedly verifying locks, appliances, or mistakes, often dozens of times.
Counting: Counting objects or actions in specific patterns until it “feels right.”
Ordering: Arranging items precisely by color, size, or symmetry.
Symmetry: Ensuring objects or bodily sensations are perfectly balanced.
Contamination: Fear of germs leading to excessive cleaning or avoidance.
Hoarding: Inability to discard items due to fear or emotional attachment.
Relationship OCD: Constant doubt about relationship feelings, needing reassurance.
Religious OCD: Excessive worry about sin, leading to repeated prayers or confessions.
Co-Occurring Conditions
We treat OCD alongside mental health challenges that might occur simultaneously. This can include depression, anxiety, substance use, and self-harm or suicidal ideation. Our dual approach boosts your or your loved one’s chances at lasting relief since co-occurring conditions can influence each other. This can include, for example, Suboxone or methadone treatment for those with an opioid addiction as well as OCD.
OCD Treatment and Management
At Willow, we create a personal roadmap based on what works best for your situation.
Initial Contact and Pre-Screening
Reach out by phone, email, or in person. Our admissions specialists will walk you through a confidential pre-screen to gather essential information and provide crisis support if needed.
Comprehensive Assessment
You’ll meet with a licensed clinician for a full evaluation of your mental health, medical history, and personal goals, using standardized screening tools where appropriate.
Personalized Treatment Planning
Based on your assessment, we’ll build a tailored treatment plan that may include therapy, medication, holistic care, and family involvement.
First Steps in Treatment
You’ll meet your care team and begin treatment with continued check-ins to adjust your plan as you grow in your recovery.
SSRIs like Prozac, Zoloft, and Luvox can ease how intense the symptoms are. Our licensed team will assess the right course of action to meet your needs and keep you safe. This includes combining any medical care with other proven methods.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP) helps you gradually face feared situations without performing rituals. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) gives you practical skills to manage intense emotions and urges that fuel OCD behaviors. Optional family therapy can also help strengthen support. We also include the 12-step approach to encourage accountability and responsibility.
We believe in nurturing your whole being, so we integrate holistic approaches that support brain health and emotional resilience. This includes stress management, exercise, music therapy, and more. We also teach mindfulness techniques to stay present instead of getting lost in obsessive thoughts.
Expert OCD Treatment
Our options are customizable and aim to fit into your real day-to-day schedule. To aid this, we offer various levels of care:
Our Partial Hospitalization Program includes individual therapy, group sessions, medication management if needed, and practical skills training. This level works well when OCD severely disrupts your life and can last a few weeks to months.
The Intensive Outpatient Program is ideal when you need support but still have to manage work, school, or family. IOP is a common step down from PHP, building independence and maintaining support.
Our virtual program gives you access to specialists without the commute. You’ll get the same evidence-based treatment through secure video sessions. Through this program, you also gain flexibility with scheduling.
Nurture Your Well-Being at Willow Behavioral Health
Choosing to start OCD treatment shows courage. At Willow Behavioral Health, many of our team members have first-hand experience with mental health conditions. Our trusted treatments, individual support, and commitment to your well-being create solid ground for lasting healing.
Whether you’re struggling with intrusive thoughts or disruptive rituals, we’re here to support you. Reach out today and start a new, healthy chapter.
