For adults
Therapy for adults with OCD and anxiety
OCD and anxiety respond to specific treatments: CBT, and for OCD exposure and response prevention (ERP), which NICE recommends.
- HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Chartered Psychologist (BPS)
- Board certified in the United States (ABPP)
- PhD, University of Washington
- Recognised by BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality & WPA
What this is
What I treat, and how
I treat OCD and anxiety in adults. The pages below describe the specific problems.
These problems are kept going by the things you do to feel safer, such as checking, avoiding, asking for reassurance or searching symptoms online, which bring relief at the time and keep the anxiety in place over months. In treatment you face what you have been avoiding and gradually drop those habits, starting with a manageable step agreed in advance. It is a stretch at first and becomes easier with practice.
OCD in adults
Intrusive thoughts, contamination fears, checking and reassurance-seeking, including “Pure O”.
Read moreGeneralised anxiety
Worry that moves from one subject to the next, with tension and poor sleep.
Read moreHealth anxiety
Body-checking, symptom googling, repeated GP visits, and relief that never lasts.
Read moreSocial anxiety
Rehearsing what to say, replaying it afterwards, and watching yourself as you talk.
Read morePanic & agoraphobia
Panic attacks, fear of the sensations, and a growing list of places you avoid.
Read moreSpecific phobias
Needles, vomiting, flying, driving or animals. Often a short course of treatment.
Read moreEmetophobia
Fear of vomiting, and the avoidance of food, travel and illness that grows around it.
Read moreBody dysmorphic disorder, skin picking and hair pulling
Checking and covering up appearance, and repeated picking or pulling, and how each is treated.
Read moreEverything I treat
The full list, including what I do not take on.
See the full listHow treatment works
Four stages, and no obligation at the first
- A free introductory call
We talk for 20 minutes, and I tell you whether this is work I do and what it would involve.
- A first session
We map the triggers, what you do to cope and what has been tried, and you leave with a plan.
- Active treatment
Weekly or regular sessions of ERP or CBT, with agreed practice in between, which is where most of the change happens.
- Finishing treatment
Sessions are spaced out as things improve, and we finish with a plan for setbacks.
Method and training
- Practice between sessions. ERP relies on real practice tasks, agreed in advance, and on steadily cutting down the things you do to feel safer.
- Training and certification. I trained at the University of Washington and a specialist anxiety and OCD centre in Seattle, and I am board certified in the United States (ABPP), which requires clinical work to be submitted and examined.
Practical details
You do not need a GP referral. Sessions run weekdays, 9am to 5pm, by video anywhere in the UK or in person in Nottinghamshire, in your own home or at my office in Ravenshead. Every session is £120, and I am recognised by BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality and WPA.
Fees & insuranceFree 20-minute call
Not sure whether this is the right fit?
Start with a free 20-minute call. We talk through what is going on, I answer any questions you have, and I tell you whether I think I can help. If I cannot, I will try to point you to someone who can. The call is free and there is no obligation to book.
Weekdays, 9am to 5pm. No GP referral needed.