Why I treat OCD: A personal story for OCD Awareness Month

I often get asked why I chose to dedicate my life to treating OCD. The truth is, when I first started studying psychology, I had no idea that I’d specialize in this condition. But once I learned about exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, something clicked. ERP immediately resonated with me because it focused on confronting fears and learning how to handle distress—an approach that got me through tough moments while growing up. I was an anxious kid who threw up every day of first grade. My mom would tell the school to keep me there, and that I had to figure out how to deal with my fears on my own. That experience taught me something powerful: I could handle hard things. It's the same lesson I try to impart on people with OCD today. Decades later, when my wife received a terminal cancer diagnosis, I had to call on these skills again. I grappled with fear, guilt, shame, and what it truly means to tolerate uncertainty. I had to live by the principles I was teaching other people, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I'm sharing this with you because I want you to know why I care so much about treating OCD. I have a genuine desire to alleviate suffering in people, and I believe that everyone with OCD deserves access to treatment that can change their lives. That's what drives me every day as Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD. If you'd like to hear more about my journey, you can watch the full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunrUInzZ98