Does anyone else not know how to tell their (new) therapist I have distressing intrusive thoughts? No, they aren’t an OCD specialist and those aren’t really available in my area. I’m seeing a CBT specialist (soon) who typically treats anxiety and depression, who said they’d feel confident treating OCD.

Maybe you could ask them what they know about OCD and what themes they are familiar with first? If they are familiar with a lot and seem to have a good knowledge on OCD, they could be helpful to you. Questions to ask could be: “What is your experience in treating OCD?” “Can you tell me what you know about it?” “Do you use CBT, specifically ERP?” If they feel confident, they probably know some about it. The theme does not matter, the underlying factor in everyone with OCD is fear. Try feeling it out and seeing if you’re comfortable.

I told my old therapist about my pocd and she was very understanding. It was before I even knew what I was going through. I was just like “what if I could be one?” and she was in no way judgmental. That lead me to research and find out what I was going through. Hope this helps with your confidence!

Have you considered teletherapy? If you can’t get an in-person specialist you might be able to get one via teletherapy. If you are in AZ or NY I can suggest a good one, if not, I am sure a search on the IOCDF website will help you:

Thanks 0823: I will ask about what themes they’ve heard of. If they haven’t heard of say POCD or Harm OCD... does that mean they can’t treat me? I would say not necessarily, I’m pretty sure any therapist worth their salt knows that reassurance in general is bad, and all I need the therapist’s help with now is literally accepting my thoughts and moving on with my day. I actually mentioned: “The OCD expert Steven Phillipson urged sufferers to ask their therapist on whether they have experience treating OCD.” She then said she understands and feels confident treating OCD... though I don’t know her OCD caseload. She’s has 10+ years of experience treating mental health disorders so even if she hasn’t say heard of Harm or POCD, I’m assuming she’s plenty-comfortable hearing about intrusive thoughts, so I’m probably just worrying too much.

Also, I really hope everything works out with your therapist and you can start accepting your thoughts! Good luck and keep fighting, I know you can do it!

https://www.cognitivebehavioralcenter.com This is Dr. Phillipson’s clinic in NY and they do Skype therapy.

I actually looked at OCD Online and discovered that some sessions could be around $70 or so, but they apparently don’t do teletherapy? The IOCDF website well... It helped but I don’t have a car, etc, so I’d have to get a ride to X location and meh...

I hate talking about them and when people ask!