OCD Therapy in New York
OCD can turn an unwanted thought into a question you feel responsible for answering. What if you meant it? What if you overlooked something? You review the memory, check how you feel, or ask someone you trust. Their answer may bring relief, until another detail seems to make the question necessary again.
The effort involved can be largely invisible. You may be at work or spending time with someone you love while much of your attention is occupied by a private attempt to become certain. When the thoughts involve harm, sex, or religion, explaining the problem can feel almost as difficult as living with it.
I'm Dr. Olivier van Hauwermeiren, a clinical psychologist providing OCD therapy across New York, including Long Island. I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a first-line psychological treatment for OCD, alongside ACT. We work directly on the compulsions and on rebuilding the parts of your life that have become organized around them.
A free 15-minute call, no commitment, booked through Headway. Or email me first if you'd rather start there.
What you might be noticing
- Unwanted thoughts about harm, sex, relationships, or faith that you keep trying to resolve
- Repeatedly asking a partner for reassurance or searching online for an answer that will finally settle it
- Checking locks, appliances, messages, or work you've already reviewed
- Replaying memories, counting, or repeating phrases in your head to prevent something bad or feel certain
- Avoiding objects, places, or people because of the thoughts they bring up
- Spending so much time on rituals that it's affecting work, relationships, or getting out the door
How I work
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
We begin by understanding what brings on an obsession and what you do in response, including mental rituals that might not initially look like compulsions. From there, we plan exposures: approaching a thought or situation while practicing leaving the usual ritual undone. The work is specific to your experience, whether that involves leaving after one check or allowing a memory to remain unresolved.
The response prevention part matters. If you're doing an exposure while quietly reassuring yourself, counting, or reviewing, we need to know about that. The aim is to give you practice tolerating uncertainty without relying on the ritual to get through it. Hezel and Simpson's review explains the evidence behind ERP and some of the places treatment can get stuck.
When an exposure needs more time, we can plan an extended 90-minute session. We'll discuss the format and fee beforehand.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Exposure can be difficult, and it matters that you have a reason to do it beyond wanting a symptom to disappear. ACT helps us connect the practice to something you want back. If doubt has made closeness with your partner difficult, we can work on being present in that relationship without repeatedly testing how you feel. Values help us decide which risks are worth taking and what progress would look like outside a session.
How we handle reassurance
When reassurance is part of a compulsion, answering the question can bring short-term relief while leaving the need for another answer intact. We'll talk openly about how that works in your case. I may help you sit with a question rather than resolve it for you, while still offering support and answering questions about the treatment itself.
You don't have to convince me that a thought is irrational before we can work on it. We'll look at what happens after the thought shows up and how much time you're spending trying to settle it.
How we begin
The first session is an assessment. I'll ask about the thoughts, rituals, avoidance, previous treatment, and anything else affecting you. If a past experience has made it difficult to trust a therapist with this, tell me what would help us start.
Together we'll build a picture of the situations you're avoiding and the rituals that have become difficult to resist. We'll choose a starting point and discuss what the practice involves before attempting it. As we go, we'll keep looking for less obvious ways of neutralizing a thought, including ones that only become apparent during an exposure.
Practice between sessions is part of ERP. We'll agree on something realistic, review how it went, and adjust. The number and length of sessions depend on your needs and progress.
The practical part
- Licensed in New York, and sessions are fully virtual, so anywhere in the state works: Manhattan, Long Island, Westchester, upstate
- In-network with Aetna and Northwell Health, private pay otherwise, with a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement
- Book a free consult directly through Headway, or email me with questions
- Currently accepting new clients
From the blog
Common questions
How do you work with OCD?
I use ERP and ACT. We identify the obsessions and compulsions, including mental rituals, plan exposures together, and review your practice between sessions. Ask me about any of that on the consult call, including my training and experience. You should have enough information to decide whether the approach makes sense to you.
Will talking about intrusive thoughts get me reported?
Having an unwanted thought is different from wanting or planning to act on it. I'll ask questions to understand what you're experiencing rather than make assumptions based on its content. Confidentiality has legal limits when there is a safety concern; we review those at intake, and you can ask about them before sharing something you're worried about.
I've had ERP before and it didn't help. Can we talk about that?
Absolutely. I'd want to hear what the exposures involved, what you practiced between sessions, and what made the work difficult. Sometimes mental rituals or reassurance need more attention. Other times we need to adjust the pace or address another problem alongside the OCD. The fact that you struggled with treatment is useful information for planning what comes next.
Can we do ERP over video?
Yes. We can plan exposures around situations in your own environment, such as checking at home. We'll discuss privacy, safety, and what can reasonably be done over video before starting. Some situations may need a different format or level of care.
Do I need a diagnosis before reaching out?
No. If you aren't sure whether this is OCD, anxiety, or something else, we can start with an assessment.
Do you prescribe medication?
No. I provide therapy as a psychologist. If you're taking medication or want to discuss it with a prescriber, I can coordinate with your psychiatrist or primary care doctor with your permission.
References
Talk with someone who works with OCD
You can use the free consult to ask about my approach to ERP, discuss previous treatment, or describe what has made reaching out difficult. You don't need to have the whole account ready.
A free 15-minute call, no commitment, booked through Headway. Or email me first if you'd rather start there.
Written by Dr. Olivier van Hauwermeiren, PsyD. Licensed Clinical Psychologist, New York