Evidence-based online ERP therapy for OCD and anxiety in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Nebraska

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related anxiety disorders. ERP helps you break the cycle of intrusive thoughts, fear, avoidance, and compulsions by teaching your brain a new, healthier way to respond to anxiety. I provide ERP through secure online therapy for adults across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Nebraska, making specialized care accessible wherever you are.

What ERP Therapy Is

ERP is a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed specifically for OCD and anxiety. Instead of avoiding triggers or seeking reassurance, ERP helps you face fear gradually while learning to resist the compulsive behaviors that keep anxiety alive.

Common compulsions ERP can help you reduce include:

• Reassurance seeking

• Checking

• Mental reviewing

• Avoidance of people, places, or objects

• Trying to “figure out” intrusive thoughts

By practicing ERP, you retrain your brain to handle discomfort and uncertainty without engaging in rituals.

How ERP Works

ERP focuses on two key components:

1. Exposure You gradually face situations, sensations, thoughts, or triggers that create anxiety.

2. Response Prevention You practice resisting compulsions, rituals, or avoidance so your anxiety can rise and fall naturally.

Over time, your brain learns that anxiety is temporary, manageable, and not a threat — reducing its power and helping you feel more in control.

What to Expect in ERP Therapy

Together, we will:

• Identify patterns that keep you stuck

• Build a personalized exposure hierarchy

• Practice exposures both during sessions and between sessions

• Strengthen your ability to tolerate anxiety and uncertainty

• Build long-term resilience and confidence

In your first sessions, we’ll:

• Clarify how OCD or anxiety shows up for you

• Create a custom hierarchy that matches your goals

• Start exposures at a level that feels challenging but achievable

• Learn response-prevention tools

• Track your progress so you can see clear, measurable change

ERP is always collaborative. I will never push you into exposures you’re not ready for — we move at a pace that supports safety, growth, and confidence.

Conditions ERP Helps Treat

ERP is highly effective for:

• OCD (all subtypes)

• Panic disorder

• Health anxiety

• Emetophobia

• Agoraphobia

• Social anxiety

• Specific phobias

A foundational approach for anxiety, stress, and emotional wellness

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you understand how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors interact — and how shifting one part of the cycle can reduce anxiety and improve daily functioning. CBT is practical, structured, and goal-oriented, making it one of the most effective forms of anxiety therapy used today.

How CBT Helps

With CBT, you learn to:

• Identify and challenge unhelpful or distorted thinking

• Reduce catastrophic thinking and worry spirals

• Build coping skills and emotional regulation

• Respond more intentionally to stress and uncertainty

• Break habits that reinforce anxiety and avoidance

CBT helps you gain clarity, shift perspective, and build confidence in your ability to manage your mind.

CBT Techniques May Include

• Thought reframing and cognitive restructuring

• Journaling and self-reflection

• Mindfulness and grounding strategies

• Behavioral experiments

• Relaxation skills

• Exposure-based techniques (when appropriate)

CBT is more than talking — sessions are structured, collaborative, and focused on making meaningful progress.

A powerful combination for long-term recovery and anxiety relief

ERP is actually a specialized form of CBT — but the two approaches work together in different, complementary ways:

How CBT Supports ERP

CBT helps you:

• Understand the thoughts and beliefs driving anxiety

• Learn emotional regulation and grounding skills

• Build awareness of avoidance and fear patterns

• Strengthen cognitive flexibility

How ERP Builds on CBT

ERP helps you:

• Face fears gradually and intentionally

• Practice tolerating uncertainty

• Reduce compulsions and reassurance-seeking

• Experience anxiety safely without reacting to it

Why Using Both Works So Well

Together, CBT and ERP:

• Increase insight and emotional awareness

• Reduce avoidance and compulsive behaviors

• Strengthen resilience and long-term coping

• Create meaningful, lasting change

Whether we use ERP, CBT, or a blend of both, your treatment is always personalized, collaborative, and built around your goals.