What is ERP?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy that can help people with OCD and phobias change how they respond to unwanted thoughts, fears, and anxiety. Rather than avoiding feared situations or trying to eliminate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, ERP involves gradually and intentionally facing what you fear while learning to respond without relying on compulsions, avoidance, or other behaviors that can reinforce the cycle of fear and anxiety.
What will we do?
Establishing the therapeutic relationship
Identifying your individual OCD patterns and compulsions
Developing an individualized exposure hierarchy
Gradually approach feared situations, thoughts, or sensations
Learn to resist compulsions and reassurance seeking
Build tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort
Practice these skills between sessions
ERP can be challenging, but you don't have to face it alone. Treatment is collaborative and progresses at a pace that takes your individual circumstances and goals into account.
ERP is the gold-standard of OCD and phobia treatment.
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ERP is the gold-standard of OCD and phobia treatment. *
“The most important type of CBT for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP).”
“Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy helps you face fears in a safe, step-by-step way. It’s the gold standard treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
— International OCD Foundation
— Cleveland Clinic