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OCD Therapy
Washington
OCD causes us to feel desperate for certainty.
We help you understand what it is protecting, and begin living without letting fear and doubt organize your life.
We offer specialized OCD counseling for adults in and around Seattle and throughout Washington. Our approach integrates Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Internal Family Systems, informed care to help you respond differently to intrusive thoughts, without shame, judgment, or endless reassurance.
Taylor Vickerman, IFS Therapist
Emily Vickerman, IFS Informed Therapist
Our Approach
Does this sound familiar?
- Repeatedly analyze what a thought, feeling, or memory means
- Ask others for reassurance but only feel better temporarily
- Review conversations to make sure you did not say something wrong
- Check your attraction, emotions, intentions, body, health, or faith
- Search online for certainty about your fears
- Avoid people, places, objects, decisions, or responsibilities that trigger doubt
- Confess thoughts or past actions to feel “clean” or honest
- Feel responsible for preventing unlikely harm
- Worry that intrusive thoughts reveal something disturbing about who you are
- Keep trying to determine whether you “really” have OCD
OCD often attaches itself to what matters most to you.
The content can change, but the cycle is frequently the same: an intrusive thought creates distress, a compulsion brings temporary relief, and the doubt eventually returns stronger.
A compassionate approach to OCD treatment
Effective OCD therapy is not about proving that your feared outcome will never happen. It is about helping you build the capacity to experience uncertainty without automatically checking, avoiding, analyzing, or seeking reassurance.
Exposure and Response Prevention
ERP helps you gradually approach thoughts, sensations, situations, and uncertainties that OCD has taught you to fear. At the same time, you practice resisting the compulsions that keep the cycle alive. Exposure work should be collaborative, purposeful, and paced—not forced or careless.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT helps you make room for uncomfortable thoughts and feelings without allowing them to determine your next move. Instead of waiting until you feel completely certain, you learn to take meaningful action based on your values.
IFS-informed care
Many people with OCD have protective parts that desperately want certainty, control, or relief. An IFS-informed approach can help you relate to these parts with curiosity and compassion. We use this alongside ERP carefully so that understanding your internal experience supports treatment rather than becoming another form of analysis or reassurance.
The goal is not to eliminate every intrusive thought. The goal is to help you trust your ability to live well without answering every question OCD asks.
Pathway
Finding the right therapist matters. We’ll begin with a free consultation where you can share a little about what’s bringing you to therapy, ask questions, and get a feel for what it might be like to work together. There’s no pressure. If it feels like a good fit for both of us, we’ll schedule your first session.
Let's Connect
We’ll start by slowing down and becoming curious about what has been getting in the way of feeling more like yourself. Together, we’ll listen to what your mind, body, and different parts may be trying to communicate. I’ll make sure you feel supported and have the tools you need as we gently move toward the deeper places where healing and lasting change can begin.
We Begin the Work
Healing doesn’t follow a perfect timeline, and you don’t have to wait until therapy is finished to begin feeling its impact. Along the way, you may notice small shifts: more space inside, greater compassion for yourself, healthier relationships, and a growing ability to move through difficult moments without feeling as overwhelmed. Over time, those small shifts can become meaningful and lasting change.
Things Change
Stories of Change
W. M.
My emotions aren't a mystery anymore. I'm able to understand these parts of me with compassion and clarity, rather than dissociation and distraction.
O. E.
Over time, I noticed my body soften and the good feelings that I was trying to feel this whole time naturally bubble up, without effort.
T. H.
Feeling good again. Grateful for the insight and compassion that I was given. Something I remember is that I'm not a problem, but a human.
Answers to Your Questions
How do I know if counseling is right for me?
You do not have to be in crisis to benefit from counseling. Many people come to therapy because they feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, anxious, or simply want to understand themselves more deeply. Therapy can give you space to slow down, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and begin moving toward the life and relationships you want.
Courses
Success From the Inside Out
Success isn’t about grinding harder, but leading yourself. This course helps you move from fear-driven striving to curiosity, clarity, and creativity—unlocking sustainable success, alignment, and real momentum without burnout.
Parenting From the Inside Out
Parenting triggers your own nervous system and past wounds. This course helps you regulate, understand your child’s emotions, model boundaries, and lead with calm, creating safety, connection, and resilience in your home.
Relationships From the Inside Out
Relationships struggle when protective parts take over. This course blends IFS, Gottman, and EFT to help you regulate, communicate clearly, and become a Self-led partner—creating deeper, safer, more lasting connections.
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