The OCD and Anxiety disorders treatment track is an adult intensive outpatient program for individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and impairing anxiety disorders. OCD includes unwanted or intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) that cause distress. Individuals suffering from OCD engage in repetitive behaviors or thoughts (compulsions) that temporarily alleviate the distress caused by the obsessions. Similarly, individuals with impairing anxiety, such as phobias, experience excessive fear and often engage in persistent avoidance behaviors. The IOP provides three hours of treatment 4 days a week for a period of 8-10 weeks. Additionally, the IOP incorporates continuous consultation with a board-certified psychiatrist and/or psychiatric nurse practitioner throughout a patient’s treatment, encompassing regular in-person sessions for medication management services.
Addressing OCD and Anxiety
Patients who have OCD or anxiety feel fear or distress followed by the need to engage in compulsions or avoidance to feel better. This relief is only temporary, however, and fear often returns stronger than before.
The Adult OCD and Anxiety Disorders Track at REACH is designed to break this cycle. This is done through an evidence-based technique called cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure. The program is highly structured and individualized. With this technique, REACH staff encourage gradual, supported approaches of feared experiences. It includes individualized interventions in a group environment that increase one’s ability to face feared experiences in a safe and tolerable way.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy with exposure is recommended for OCD and anxiety disorders by National organizations including the International OCD Foundation, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Symptoms That May Indicate A Need For Treatment
Unwanted or intrusive thoughts that cause significant anxiety or distress:
- “I might get sick.”
- “I might hurt someone.”
- “I might be contaminated by dirt, germs, or feces.”
- “Something bad might happen to me.”
- “My appearance is wrong” (e.g., “my nose is too big”).
- “Everything needs to be ‘just right.’”
- “I repeatedly doubt my own memory.”
- Personally unacceptable religious or sexual thoughts
Feeling like you must do certain behaviors:
- Seeking reassurance from others about what you are worried about (e.g., “Am I going to be ok?”)
- Excessive handwashing or washing other body parts
- Checking/rechecking objects (e.g., doorknobs, light switches, locks, the stove)
- Ordering/arranging objects
- Praying, counting, or rereading excessively
- Performing a behavior an exact number of times
- Thinking certain thoughts repeatedly in your mind
Contact Us
