OCD Counselling

Understanding OCD

OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, involves obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images or urges that create anxiety and distress. Compulsions are the behaviours or mental processes - checking, reassurance-seeking, analysing, avoiding - that you feel driven to carry out in response. Not all compulsions are visible; many people experience purely mental compulsions, which can make OCD especially hard for others to recognise. Whatever form it takes, OCD can be exhausting, frightening and difficult to talk about. I offer a space where you don't have to explain everything perfectly. OCD is closely related to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which involves distressing, intrusive preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance — if this sounds familiar, you're welcome to get in touch even if it doesn't fit the OCD description exactly.

How Counselling Can Help

I offer a supportive, accepting space to explore how OCD is affecting your thoughts, relationships and day-to-day life, without judgement of the content of your intrusive thoughts. My role isn't to fix you or tell you what to think - it's to help you make sense of what's happening and feel less alone with it. CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialist, evidence-based treatment for OCD; counselling can offer a complementary space to explore the emotional impact of OCD - your relationship with yourself, your confidence and the wider experiences surrounding your difficulties. If you're unsure what kind of support is right for you, we can talk this through in a free, 15-minute suitability call.

Frequently Asked Questions

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