Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Counselling
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a mental health disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly, or have certain thoughts repeatedly. The part that individuals with OCD find troubling is that they feel unable to control either the thoughts or the activities. If you have OCD, you probably recognize that your obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are irrational—but even so, you feel unable to resist them and break free.
Obsessive compulsive disorder therapy most often involves a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques exposure and response prevention. With exposure and response prevention therapy, you repeatedly expose yourself to an obsession (such as: fear of hands being dirty), and deny yourself the behavior/ compulsive act (in this case, washing your hands). This therapy is done with a therapist, or often, on your own with direction/ strategies from your therapist.
In the beginning of exposure and response prevention therapy, counselling will help you to identify and rank a list of your obsessions, rituals (compulsions), and things that you avoid. As counselling continues, it will be important to begin exposing yourself to an obsession that causes anxiety.
This exposure and response prevention therapy is best combined with cognitive-behavioural therapy to help overcome the faulty beliefs (such as fear of contamination) that lead to OCD behaviours.
Your first session involves initial assessment of your well being and a thorough intake of your personal history and background. Subsequent therapy sessions are 50 minutes in length, and are unique to each individual treatment plan.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Counselling in Etobicoke
Obsessive compulsive disorder counselling services offered at Balanced Mind and Wellness Inc. include: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), and exposure and response prevention.