OCD Therapy in Florida

A thought shows up that feels wrong, dangerous or disgusting. You check, wash, ask, count or replay it in your head until the anxiety eases. Then the relief fades and the thought comes back, a little louder. That loop is what obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) runs on, and it can be loosened. Our Florida therapists treat OCD in adults and teens, in person at our Wellington office or by secure video anywhere in the state.

To begin, contact us or check your insurance. We offer individual therapy, couples therapy and family therapy — by telehealth across twelve states, including Florida, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina.

It Isn’t About Being Neat

OCD gets played for laughs as a love of tidy desks. The real thing is far less funny. It’s the parent who can’t stop picturing harm coming to their baby, the student who rereads every sentence until it feels “right,” the partner who keeps asking whether they really love the person they’re with. The content changes from person to person. The pattern stays the same: an unwanted thought, a surge of distress, and something you do to make it stop.

Shapes OCD Can Take

• Fear of germs, illness or contamination, with washing or avoiding
• Checking locks, stoves, messages or your own memory
• Intrusive thoughts about harming someone, or about sex or religion, that horrify you
• A need for things to feel even, exact or “just right”
• Constant doubt about a relationship, or about your own feelings
• Worry about having done something wrong, and seeking reassurance or confessing
• Intrusive thoughts after having a baby (see our postpartum therapy in Florida page)

Having a disturbing thought doesn’t mean you want it or would act on it. Our article on what intrusive thoughts mean goes into why the mind does this.

How Our Florida Team Treats OCD

Every clinician on our team works with OCD and anxiety. Treatment usually combines two things:

• Cognitive therapy, to look at the meaning OCD attaches to a thought, such as “thinking it makes it more likely” or “I have to be certain.”
• Exposure-based techniques: facing triggers gradually, in small steps you agree to, while practicing not doing the ritual. Nothing is sprung on you.

There is no set number of sessions. Progress often shows up first as rituals that take less time, or thoughts that feel less urgent, before they fade.

What the First Few Sessions Look Like

The first session is mostly listening. Your therapist will ask what the thoughts are about, what you do to get relief, how much time it takes each day, and what OCD has started to cost you, at work, at home or in a relationship. Many people have never said some of these thoughts out loud. You don’t have to share everything at once, and nothing you describe will shock us.

Over the next few sessions you’ll map your own OCD cycle together: the triggers, the thoughts, the rituals and the avoidance. From there you’ll agree on where to start, usually with something that causes some distress but feels manageable, and build from there. Your therapist will also check how OCD sits alongside anything else you’re dealing with, such as depression, worry or the stress of a big life change.

Medication, If It Would Help

For some people, medication makes the work of therapy easier. Our psychiatric nurse practitioner treats OCD with medication by telehealth for Florida clients, and can coordinate with your therapist. See medication management in Florida.

When Your Teen Has OCD

We see teens ages 13 to 17. OCD often pulls families in: answering the same question again and again, or rearranging routines to avoid a trigger. That comes from love, but it can keep the loop going. Parents learn how to support their teen without feeding the rituals. See our teen counseling page.

In Wellington or Online

Our office is at 8461 Lake Worth Road, Suite 248, Wellington, with parking on site. You can also meet by secure video, which suits OCD well: some exposure practice is easiest right where the triggers live, at home. Read more about online therapy in Florida. You need to be in Florida at the time of each session. Sessions are available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Daytime appointments are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Insurance and Cost in Florida

We’re in network with Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (including UMR plans), Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tricare, Curative, MultiPlan and Oscar in Florida. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid. Self-pay is $125 per individual session and $175 for couples or family sessions, each 45 to 50 minutes, and $200 to $250 for an extended 90-minute individual, couples or EMDR session. Self-pay clients can ask for a Good Faith Estimate before starting. You can verify your coverage first.

OCD Questions

Is it OCD, or am I just an overthinker?

Everyone has odd thoughts. With OCD, the thoughts cause real distress, and you spend a lot of time, often more than an hour a day, trying to neutralize them. A first session can help sort out what fits.

Is OCD the same as anxiety?

They’re related but not the same. Anxiety is part of OCD, but what defines OCD is the cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Many people have both OCD and another anxiety problem, and therapy can address them together.

Will I have to do things that scare me?

Only in steps you agree to, and only after you understand why. Exposure work moves at your pace.

Can OCD be treated online?

Yes. Video sessions work well for OCD, and in-person sessions are available in Wellington.

If You’re in Crisis

If you’re thinking about harming yourself or feel unsafe, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour, or call 911. Therapy isn’t an emergency service.

Getting Started

Call (561) 288-0377 or use our contact form. Most people are seen within a week. See our Florida page for more about working with us.

More on This

• What Intrusive Thoughts Mean
• Perfectionism
• Racing Thoughts at Night
• Health Anxiety: When You Cannot Stop Thinking Something Is Wrong
• High Functioning Anxiety: Signs and What Helps
• Online Therapy in Florida