If you live with OCD, you know how much time and energy it can take. A thought gets stuck, the anxiety climbs and the urge to check, wash, ask or mentally review feels impossible to ignore. You may already know a lot about OCD. What you might not know is where to start in Ottawa, or what therapy actually looks like week to week. This guide explains how exposure and response prevention (ERP) works, how it fits into everyday Ottawa life and how to begin, in person downtown or online.
This post is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
OCD therapy in Ottawa, where to start
Our Ottawa therapists work with OCD, including ERP, both in person and online. Our Ottawa clinic offers individual therapy for teens and adults, with online and in-person options.
You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. Many people start with a short conversation to ask questions, talk about what's been happening and find a therapist who feels like a good fit. Our free 15-minute consultation is a simple first step.
What OCD therapy is working on
MedlinePlus, from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, describes OCD as a condition in which thoughts (obsessions) and behaviours (compulsions) occur over and over, interfering with your life, even though you can't control or stop them. It also notes that it's a myth that OCD just means being neat.
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) describes three main elements: an unwanted, intrusive thought, image or urge; the intense anxiety or distress it causes; and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviours or mental acts a person feels driven to do.
Compulsions bring short-term relief, which is why they're so hard to resist. But each time the ritual "works," the brain learns that the thought was dangerous and the ritual was necessary. Seeking reassurance, avoiding triggers and mentally reviewing can all be part of the same loop. OCD therapy works on that loop, not on arguing with the thoughts themselves.
How exposure and response prevention works
ERP is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The idea is simple, even if it doesn't feel easy: you gradually face the thoughts, situations or feelings that trigger your OCD, and you practise not doing the compulsion. Over time, many people find the anxiety becomes more manageable and the urge to perform rituals loosens its grip.
The NICE guideline on OCD (CG31), from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, recommends psychological treatment that includes ERP for adults with OCD, and CBT including ERP that involves the family and is adapted to a young person's age for children and young people.
ERP sounds scary to most people at first. Here's what it usually looks like in practice:
Understanding your OCD. You and your therapist map out your obsessions, compulsions and triggers.
Building a ladder together. You list situations from least to most difficult. You choose the steps with your therapist.
Starting small. You begin with something challenging but manageable.
Staying with the discomfort. You practise letting the anxiety rise and fall without the ritual.
Moving up at your pace. You only take the next step when you're ready.
Nothing is forced. A good ERP therapist explains the reason for every step and checks in often.
Practising ERP in everyday Ottawa life
ERP works best when practice happens where OCD shows up in your real life. For people in Ottawa, that might look like:
The commute. Riding the O-Train or a bus without rechecking that the door at home was locked.
A shared office downtown. Using a shared kitchen or touching common surfaces without washing afterward.
Campus life. Sending an email to a professor without rereading it five times, or sharing a residence kitchen.
Home. Cooking dinner, leaving the stove after one check or letting a "not just right" feeling stay.
These are examples only. Your exposures are planned with your therapist and matched to what matters to you. Nothing is done without your agreement.
This is also why online sessions can be useful for OCD. If your fears show up mostly at home, in the kitchen, the bathroom or the car, you and your therapist can plan and practise exposures right where they happen.
What your first sessions can look like
Your first sessions are mostly about understanding. Your therapist will ask what OCD looks like for you, when it started, what you've tried and how it affects your work, studies, relationships and home life. You can share as much or as little as you're ready to.
Together, you'll set goals that matter to you, such as getting out the door on time, cooking without hours of checking or spending an evening without asking for reassurance. ERP practice usually begins once you understand the plan and feel ready.
In person downtown or online
You can choose the format that suits you.
In person. Our Ottawa office is at 1 Rideau Street, 7th Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 8S7, inside the Fairmont Château Laurier. You can reach our Ottawa team at (613) 691-1006. Some people like having a dedicated space for the work, away from home.
Online. Online sessions let you join from home and practise exposures in the real settings where OCD shows up. Many people also find online sessions easier to fit around work, school and family.
Intrusive thoughts are not intentions
Many people with OCD have thoughts that horrify them, such as fears of harming someone, unwanted sexual images or blasphemous thoughts. These thoughts can be so upsetting that people keep them secret for years.
The NHS explains that obsessive thoughts of a violent or sexual nature can feel repulsive or frightening, but they're just thoughts, and having them does not mean you'll act on them. The NICE guideline also notes that intrusive sexual, aggressive or death-related themes are common in people with OCD and are often misinterpreted as indicating risk.
You can talk about these thoughts in therapy without being judged. A therapist who works with OCD has heard them before.
Other approaches that can sit alongside ERP
ERP is often the core of OCD therapy, but other approaches can support it. Our therapists also use:
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): helps you make room for uncomfortable thoughts and feelings while moving toward what matters to you.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): helps you notice and question the beliefs that keep OCD going, such as overestimating danger or feeling responsible for preventing every bad outcome.
If you'd like a broader overview of the research on OCD treatment, our post on what treatments work for OCD explains the options in plain language.
Teens with OCD
MedlinePlus notes that OCD usually begins when you are a teen or young adult. Our Ottawa clinic sees teens, and OCD therapy can be adapted to a teen's age, interests and daily life.
Parents often want to help by reassuring, checking or rearranging routines to ease their teen's distress. That comes from love. In therapy, families can learn how to step back from the OCD gently and support their teen in facing fears, at a pace the teen helps choose. NICE recommends that CBT including ERP for young people involve the family or carers.
Cost and billing
Here's what to know about cost:
Sessions with our therapists range from $130 to $200, depending on the clinician.
Depending on your plan, insurance may cover some or all of the cost. Coverage varies, so it's worth checking your plan.
We accept Health Spending Accounts (HSAs).
We can direct bill many insurers, including for sessions with a registered psychotherapist (qualifying). Our team can help you check what applies to your plan.
Your first step
Book a free 15-minute consultation with our admin team. They can answer your questions about OCD therapy in Ottawa, explain in-person and online options and help you find a therapist who's a good fit.
If you're in crisis: if intrusive thoughts come with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or anyone is in danger, call or text 9-8-8 any time, day or night, or call 911. You can find more options on our crisis lines page.
OCD is hard, but you don't have to face it alone.