Online OCD therapy in California
The intrusive thoughts won't stop. The rituals take hours. You know it doesn't make sense, but you can't just quit. We get it. We treat OCD with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the approach that works for about 70% of people who try it.
Book a free consultation→What OCD actually feels like
A thought gets stuck. Maybe it's about contamination, or harm, or something you can't even say out loud. You know it doesn't make logical sense. But you do the ritual anyway because the anxiety is unbearable if you don't.
That's OCD. About 2.5 million adults in the US have it. It isn't a personality quirk or a preference for neatness. It's a real condition, and it responds well to treatment.
How we treat OCD
We use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). That's a specific type of CBT built for OCD. About 70% of people with OCD get better with it (Foa et al., 2005).
Here's how it works: you and your therapist figure out the situations, thoughts, or images that trigger your obsessions. Then you practice facing those triggers, starting with the least distressing ones, without doing the compulsion afterward.
We're not trying to eliminate intrusive thoughts. Everyone has those. The goal is to change your relationship with them so they don't run your day anymore. With repeated practice, the anxiety weakens on its own. Your brain learns the danger isn't real.
What to expect
ERP has a clear structure. Here's how it goes.
We get the full picture
Your therapist learns about your obsessions, compulsions, and how OCD shows up in your day. We use a scale called the Y-BOCS to measure where your symptoms are right now.
You build the map
You and your therapist rank triggering situations from least to most distressing. This list guides the whole treatment. You decide what goes on it.
Gradual exposures
Starting with the lower-anxiety items on your list, you practice facing triggers in a structured way. Your therapist is with you the whole time.
Sitting with the discomfort
After each exposure, you practice not doing the compulsion. This is where things shift. Over time, the urge gets quieter.
Leona Esmaeily-Aimua
LMFT #142467
Leona blends person-centered therapy with CBT, drawing from her own experience navigating anxiety. She creates a warm space for those who were taught to suppress their emotions, especially from similar cultural backgrounds.
Common questions about OCD treatment
If yours isn't here, bring it to your consultation. We'll answer it there.
What's ERP therapy?+
Can OCD therapy work online?+
How long does it take?+
Will I be forced to do things I'm not ready for?+
You don't have to keep doing this alone
Book a free consultation. We'll talk about what you're going through and whether ERP is the right fit.
Book a free consultation→No pressure. No commitment. Just a conversation.