OCD, anxiety, and psychological assessment
Specialized care for OCD, anxiety disorders, and diagnostic clarity
Evidence-based treatment for OCD and related disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychological testing for ADHD and differential diagnosis — with an OCD therapist in Los Angeles and through online therapy across California.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is defined by obsessions and compulsions — not by the content of a thought. It can involve contamination, checking, harm, relationships, religion, sexuality, identity, symmetry, health, or a need for certainty, among many other themes.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the leading evidence-based treatment for OCD. It targets compulsions, reassurance seeking, mental rituals, and avoidance that keep OCD in place.
Treatment does not require you to prove a thought is harmless or to achieve perfect certainty. The clinical goal is to change the response to intrusive thoughts and uncertainty.
Care is structured, collaborative, and paced to support meaningful progress without minimizing the difficulty of the work.
Treatment approach
ERP is the foundation of treatment. ACT-informed strategies may support willingness, uncertainty tolerance, and values-based action, while treatment remains focused on the OCD cycle and the behaviors that maintain it.
Presentations we treat
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders can show up as persistent worry, panic, avoidance, physical symptoms, fear of judgment, or fear of specific situations. Treatment is practical and evidence-based, with a clear focus on the patterns that maintain anxiety and the life areas you want to reclaim.
Treatment begins by clarifying the anxiety pattern — what triggers it, what predictions are being made, and which avoidance or safety behaviors are keeping the cycle active.
CBT and exposure-based approaches are used when clinically appropriate, tailored to the specific presentation and the person's goals.
Progress is reviewed collaboratively so the pace and practice remain workable in real life.
Treatment approach
The goal is not to eliminate every anxious feeling — it is to build flexibility and confidence in responding to anxiety without letting it set the limits.
The anxiety–avoidance cycle
CBT and exposure target avoidance, which can bring short-term relief while keeping anxiety going over time.
- 1.Feared situation or sensation
- 2.Anxious prediction
- 3.Avoidance or safety behavior
- 4.Gradual exposure and new learning
Presentations we treat
Depression
Note: Depression is treated here as a secondary concern — most often co-occurring with OCD or anxiety — rather than as a standalone presenting problem. If depression is your primary concern without a significant OCD or anxiety component, we are happy to help you find a provider who specializes in that area.
Depression frequently co-occurs with OCD and anxiety disorders. When low mood, withdrawal, or loss of motivation are part of the picture alongside OCD or anxiety, treatment addresses both. Care is grounded in evidence-based approaches such as Behavioral Activation and is adapted to the full context of your life.
Behavioral Activation supports small, realistic steps toward activities that reflect your values and can increase contact with support and reinforcement.
Treatment explores patterns of withdrawal, self-criticism, and stress that may be maintaining low mood.
An integrative approach can also address relational experiences, trauma history, anxiety, and other concerns that may be intertwined with depression.
Treatment approach
Behavioral Activation provides a practical foundation, while therapy remains responsive to the emotional and relational factors that matter to you.
Behavioral Activation in practice
Behavioral Activation uses planned, values-based activity to address withdrawal and increase contact with reinforcement.
- 1.Low mood and reduced activity
- 2.Identify values and barriers
- 3.Schedule a manageable action
- 4.Review outcomes and adjust
Presentations we treat
ADHD & Differential-Diagnosis Assessment
Psychological testing can answer focused questions about ADHD, attention, executive functioning, learning, emotional functioning, and complex diagnostic presentations. A comprehensive evaluation looks beyond a checklist to determine what best explains the symptoms and what support is likely to help.
Assessment begins with the specific question: ADHD, diagnostic clarification, treatment planning, or a combination of concerns.
Clinical interviews, developmental history, records when available, and standardized measures are selected to address that question.
Differential diagnosis considers whether attention and executive-function concerns may be related to ADHD, anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma-related symptoms, sleep problems, learning differences, or other factors.
You receive clear feedback, a written report, and practical recommendations based on the full clinical picture.
Treatment approach
A thorough assessment integrates multiple sources of information and explains both the findings and the reasoning behind diagnostic conclusions.
A comprehensive assessment process
Assessment integrates clinical history, standardized measures, and feedback to answer specific diagnostic questions.
- 1.Referral question and history
- 2.Clinical interview and measures
- 3.Scoring and clinical integration
- 4.Feedback, report, and recommendations
Assessment types we offer
Supervision & training
Assessments are conducted by licensed psychologists and supervised post-doctoral psychological associates — clinicians who have completed doctoral training and are receiving specialized supervision as part of their licensure pathway.
A focused, evidence-based clinical approach
Treatment begins with a careful understanding of the symptoms, behaviors, and situations that are keeping the problem going. We use ERP for OCD, CBT and exposure-based approaches for anxiety disorders, and comprehensive psychological testing when diagnostic clarity is needed. We work with contamination and checking concerns, harm and taboo intrusive thoughts, health anxiety, panic, social anxiety, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. The work is direct, respectful, and grounded in clinical evidence — without judgment or reassurance that reinforces the cycle.
Evidence-based foundations
Treatment uses established approaches such as ERP, CBT, exposure, and Behavioral Activation when they fit your needs.
An integrative perspective
When relevant, care addresses relational trauma history, mood, anxiety, life stress, and other factors that may affect healing alongside OCD.
Collaborative and paced
We work together to set goals and move at a pace that is both clinically meaningful and manageable.
Individualized care
Your treatment plan is shaped by your symptoms, values, relationships, strengths, and the realities of your daily life.
Fees & Payment
We accept Optum, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, and Carelon Behavioral Health for therapy services. If you carry a different plan, we can provide a superbill for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
Self-Pay / Out-of-Pocket Rates
The following rates apply when paying out of pocket or when insurance does not cover services.
A superbill (itemized receipt) is provided upon request for clients seeking out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance plan.
Sliding Scale
Limited availability — ask when you reach out
A limited number of reduced-fee appointments are available for clients who are paying privately and not using insurance for the service. Fees are determined based on household income, household size, individual financial circumstances, and the availability of reduced-fee appointments.
How fees are determined
Fees are based on household income, household size, and individual financial circumstances. Eligibility is reviewed periodically and approval is not guaranteed.
How to ask
If cost is a concern, please mention it when you reach out. No financial documentation is required to make an initial inquiry. A brief sliding-scale application may be required before a reduced fee is approved.
Insurance cost-sharing
Sliding-scale fees cannot be applied to insurance copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles. Reduced fees apply to self-pay services only.
Reduced-fee availability is limited and reviewed periodically. If cost is a concern, please mention it when you contact us — we will do our best to find a path forward.
Support for Family Members of People with OCD
Having a loved one with OCD can be exhausting, confusing, and isolating. Family members often find themselves caught between wanting to help and unknowingly making the OCD worse. This is not a failure — it is one of the most common and least-discussed challenges in OCD care.
About accommodation
One of the most important things family members can learn is the concept of accommodation — the ways that loved ones adjust their own behavior to reduce a person's OCD distress. Accommodation feels helpful in the moment, but it reinforces the OCD cycle and can make symptoms more severe over time. Common examples include providing reassurance, participating in rituals, avoiding topics or places that trigger distress, and taking over tasks the person avoids.
Understanding OCD and how it works
Learning what OCD actually is — and what it is not — helps family members respond more effectively and feel less helpless. OCD is not a choice, a character flaw, or something that gets better with more reassurance.
Recognizing accommodation
Family members are often deeply involved in OCD rituals without realizing it. Identifying accommodation patterns is a key step toward changing the dynamic at home.
How to support without reinforcing
There are specific, evidence-based ways to respond to OCD that support your loved one's recovery rather than feeding the cycle. This is a learnable skill.
Taking care of yourself
Living with a family member who has OCD takes a real toll. Your own wellbeing matters — and caring for yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.
If you are a family member looking for guidance, reach out through the contact page. We can discuss whether individual consultation or a referral to a family-focused OCD resource is the right fit.
Ready to take the next step?
Reach out to learn more about therapy, assessment, and whether this approach may be a fit for you.