Couples Therapy for Anxiety and OCD
As someone with a partner who has anxiety or OCD…
You probably feel frustrated by the amount of reassurance or emotional support your partner needs. You feel burnt out. You also wish you could truly help your partner, but what you’re doing now isn’t working … your partner is more anxious than ever and you’re tired.
As someone with anxiety or OCD in a relationship…
Your anxiety or OCD is driving a wedge between you and your partner. You want your partner’s support, but you recognize that you are quickly burning them out. You would like to find a different way for your partner to support you.
Therapy can help you understand your emotional needs, as well as your partner’s. It can also help you find new ways to get those emotional needs met. Together, we’ll work on deepening your relationship with your partner, so you don’t feel so distant or like you’re in a losing battle with anxiety or OCD to get your partner’s attention.
I use ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and I-CBT (Inference Based CBT) in my treatment of couples dealing with anxiety or OCD, but I also bring in relational, and attachment based approaches. The biggest predictor of success in therapy is your relationship with your therapist, so it’s important that you - as a couple - feel comfortable with me.. My aim in couple’s therapy is to help both partners feel seen and heard, and to guide them into a new, healthier dynamic.