OCD & ERP THERAPY IN BRADENTON & ONLINE ACROSS FL
The endless mental loop you’re stuck in is treatable.
Not every “what if” needs an answer.
Do you feel like your thoughts are consuming your life?
It doesn’t have to look like lining things up or constantly washing your hands.
For a lot of my clients, OCD lives almost entirely in their head - or in the need for something to feel just right before you can let it go.
Replaying the same conversation over & over again. Redoing something until it finally feels “right.” Asking the same question three different ways. Incessantly seeking reassurance, either from others or in your own head. Or a thought so disturbing it made you sick — followed immediately by "what does it mean about me that I even thought that?"
You've probably just called it overthinking or perfectionism or being "too much" in your own head. It's exhausting and it takes up a ton of mental capacity… and it's so easy to miss.
It’s not “just a quirk.”
There’s a difference between being careful and being stuck.
Checking the door once makes sense. Checking it five times, or driving back to be sure, isn't “quirky” - it's a compulsion. Same with needing certainty about a thought that scared you or replaying every piece of a conversation until you’ve mentally reviewed it all.
There’s an actual explanation for what’s happening in your head.
And having a disturbing thought doesn't mean anything about who you are - even though it feels like it does. The people most bothered by a thought are almost always the ones who'd never act on it.
The good news - this is one of the most treatable things I work with, once we call it what it actually is: OCD.
OCD Therapy can help you:
recognize the difference between processing a thought and ruminating
identify the mental compulsions that have been keeping you anxious & stuck
stop chasing certainty and start to build tolerance
reduce reassurance-seeking from others or within your own mind
work through intrusive thoughts without placing so much meaning on them
get your time, attention, relationships & life back
What is ERP?
isn’t exposure therapy scary?
ERP is the gold standard of treatment for OCD, but it’s probably not what you're picturing.
Nobody gets thrown into their worst fear with no plan.
Exposure means practicing being with the thing that scares you - on purpose, at your pace, with education & support.
Response Prevention means not doing the compulsion that’s been creating short-term, temporary relief.
The goal isn't to prove you can survive something terrifying or to never have an intrusive thought again. It's learning how to manage the thoughts that pop up - and trusting that you have the tools to handle them.
The start of recovery is closer than you realize…
I've spent over 20 years working with anxiety in all its forms.
You don't need to have all the answers or have it all figured out to reach out. My job is to help you build a real plan for your specific thoughts and use evidence-based treatment to help you get your life back.
The goal isn’t to not have thoughts. The goal is to give you the tools so you can handle the thoughts and learn to trust yourself again.
If you’ve spent years saying things like:
“I’m just a worrier.”
“Everything is my fault.”
“If I don’t figure this out, something bad will happen.”
“I feel like I’m trapped in my head.”
“Maybe I really am a bad person.”
Common Themes of OCD
These thoughts are what we call 'ego-dystonic’ - meaning they go against what you believe or want.
CONTAMINATION
CHECKING
SYMMETRY
“JUST RIGHT”
MORAL/RELIGIOUS (SCRUPULOSITY)
RELATIONSHIP
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
HARM
EXISTENTIAL
SENSORIMOTOR
Frequently asked questions about OCD/ERP Therapy
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Possibly! This is sometimes called "Pure O" - obsessional OCD with compulsions that happen almost entirely in your head (mental reviewing, reassurance-seeking, analyzing your thoughts or feelings, etc). It's easy to miss, including by the person living it, and it's just as treatable as the visible version.
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Talking about the intrusive thought can actually fuel the loop. ERP works differently - it's about changing your relationship to uncertainty, not finding a better argument against the thought or fighting it. That shift to not trying alleviate the anxiety with a physical or mental compulsion is what creates change.
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Every exposure is built collaboratively, ranked from easiest to hardest, and paced with you and your progress. You'll always know what the sessions involve and nothing happens without your input.
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Yes! These are called body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), and they're way more common than most people realize (about 1 in 20 people).
They're related to OCD, but they're treated differently. Instead of ERP, we use approaches like Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB) to figure out what need the picking or pulling is meeting, then build real alternatives that meet that need in a healthier way.
"Just stop" doesn’t usually work, and there's no shame or judgment here… just a plan that actually fits you.
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You’re welcome any time, whether you think you have OCD or not. Waiting until you're in crisis is one of the biggest myths about therapy. You don't need a diagnosis or a “breaking point” to ask for help. If you’ve been thinking about something more than you'd like it to be, that's reason enough.
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Click here to view my contact page and choose your preferred method of communication to request an appointment.
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Yes! I offer telehealth appointments to clients throughout Florida and Illinois. It’s great for clients who prefer flexibility, a hybrid approach or to remain solely telehealth.
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I'm in network with UHC/Optum for Florida clients. Not using insurance also has real upsides - you're not bound by insurance rules about session length, treatment approach, or how many sessions you're "allowed," and it keeps your care 100% confidential.
For self pay clients, the cost is - $165 for the intake (first session only), $150 per session after that (sessions are 1 hour), and $225 for a 90-minute session.
I can provide a monthly Superbill that you can submit to insurance for possible reimbursement, though I can't guarantee what your plan will cover. I accept all major credit cards, FSA/HSA, and cash.
Please reach out to solairetherapy@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.