Virtual OCD Treatments:
ERP & I-CBT
What ERP and I-CBT are, AND what to expect.
Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention (ERP)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and high anxiety can feel overwhelming, confusing, and exhausting. Many people experience intrusive thoughts that don’t align with who they are, followed by urges to reduce anxiety through physical and mental compulsions.
I am trained in Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention (ERP)—the gold standard, evidence-based approach for OCD- and I seek consultation when needed.
What is ERP?
Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention (ERP) is a structured, effective treatment that helps you break free from the OCD cycle.
ERP works by:
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- Gradually facing fears (exposures) in a safe, supportive way
- Reducing compulsions (response prevention) so your brain can learn that anxiety naturally decreases on its own
Over time, this process helps your brain:
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- Build tolerance to uncertainty
- Reduce fear responses
- Regain a sense of control and freedom
ERP is collaborative, paced to your readiness, and tailored to your specific symptoms.
What to expect
I know that beginning ERP therapy can bring up a lot of questions and even some anxiety of its own — and that’s completely okay. Here is a breakdown of what our sessions and work together will look like:
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- Education about OCD and anxiety (so you understand what’s happening and why)
- A clear, structured treatment plan
- Weekly and consistent practice in and between sessions
- Support as you face fears and build tolerance
ERP can feel challenging at times—but it is also empowering, and many clients experience significant relief and lasting change.
You don’t have to stay stuck
If you’re feeling trapped in cycles of anxiety, overthinking, or compulsive behaviors, effective treatment is available. ERP can help you move toward a life that feels more aligned, flexible, and free.
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
What is I-CBT Therapy?
If you have OCD, you probably know what it’s like to get stuck on a “What if?”
What if I did something wrong? What if I hurt someone? What if I’m a bad person? What if I can’t trust myself?
Even when part of you knows the fear doesn’t make sense, OCD can make the possibility feel incredibly real.
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for OCD that helps you understand how OCD creates doubt in the first place — and what makes that doubt feel so believable.
How OCD builds the doubt
OCD has a way of taking an imagined possibility and treating it as though it deserves the same attention as something that is actually happening in the here and now. Before you know it, you may be analyzing, checking, reviewing memories, seeking reassurance, avoiding situations, or trying to figure out how you can be 100% certain.
With I-CBT, we slow that process down and look at how you got to the doubt OCD is asking you to solve.
I-CBT & ERP
I-CBT and Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention (ERP) are both evidence-based approaches used to treat OCD, but they work a little differently.
ERP (the gold standard of treatment) utilizes exposures. It helps you face situations, thoughts, feelings, and uncertainty that trigger OCD while learning not to respond with compulsions (inhibitory learning).
I-CBT focuses on what happens even earlier: the reasoning process that made the obsessional doubt seem relevant in the first place. Unlike ERP, I-CBT does not use exposures. The work happens at the level of the doubt itself. Once the reasoning behind the obsession loses its grip, the urge to check, review, or seek reassurance tends to lose its fuel.
There isn’t one approach that is right for every person with OCD. Depending on your symptoms and what works best for you, treatment can include I-CBT, ERP, or a combination of both.
Ultimately, the goal is to help you spend less time trying to solve OCD’s endless “What ifs?” and more time trusting your experience, making decisions, and getting back to living in the present moment.
I’m trained in both ERP and I-CBT, and I work with clients in Winston-Salem and by virtual/telehealth therapy throughout North Carolina.
