Therapy helps you develop a different relationship with these thoughts, rather than getting stuck in cycles of fear, checking, or avoidance
Living with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) can be exhausting, confusing, and isolating. I work with children, teens, and adults experiencing OCD, including intrusive thoughts, mental compulsions, checking behaviours, reassurance-seeking, and a constant need for certainty.
Many people I see don’t initially realise what they’re experiencing is OCD — or worry that their symptoms “aren’t severe enough” to justify help. Therapy doesn’t require you to fit a particular box. If OCD is getting in the way of your life, support can help.
What OCD often looks like in real life
OCD is frequently misunderstood as being about neatness or visible rituals. In reality, it often shows up in quieter, more internal ways.
People with OCD might experience:
- Disturbing or unwanted intrusive thoughts that feel out of character
- Ongoing doubt or a sense that something isn’t “quite right”
- Replaying conversations or events to check for mistakes
- Fear of causing harm, offending others, or being a “bad person”
- Mental checking, counting, or analysing rather than physical rituals
- Repeated reassurance-seeking from others or online
- Difficulty tolerating uncertainty or ambiguity
You don’t need to have all of these, and your experience doesn’t need to match anyone else’s to be valid.
How therapy can help with OCD
This often involves:
- Learning how OCD maintains itself through avoidance, reassurance, and mental rituals
-Building tolerance for uncertainty and discomfort in manageable steps
- Reducing compulsive responses (both visible and mental)
- Rebuilding trust in your own judgement and values
Progress is structured and collaborative, with a focus on what feels meaningful and achievable for you
My Approach
Client centred: We focus on what matters most to you
Practical and Grounded: not overly technical or jargon heavy
Collaborative: You are not pushed faster than you are ready to go
Evidence Based: Uses principles of Exposure-Response Prevention (ERP) in a flexible, supportive way
Is therapy right for you?
You might consider seeking support if:
- OCD thoughts or behaviours are taking up significant mental space
- You feel stuck in cycles of doubt, reassurance, or checking
- Avoidance is limiting your work, relationships, or enjoyment of life
- You’re exhausted from trying to manage things on your own
You don’t need a formal diagnosis to start therapy.
Therapy details
- Therapy is available for children, teens & adults
- Sessions are offered in person and via telehealth
- Appointments are confidential and paced to your needs
If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing is OCD, we can explore that together.
Taking the next step
If OCD is affecting your life or someone you care about and you’d like support, you’re welcome to get in touch to discuss whether therapy might be a good fit.
- Contact us to make a confidential enquiry
Frequently asked questions
No, you do not need a referral. You can make an appointment with a psychologist without a referral from your GP or a paediatrician/psychiatrist. If you decide to do this you will need to pay the full amount for your sessions out of your own pocket.
At CAYA Psychology, individual treatment sessions are 50 minutes. Assessment sessions may be longer.
You will need to make an appointment with your GP who will assess whether you are eligible for a Mental Health Treatment Plan. A Mental Health Treatment Plan will enable you to claim a Medicare rebate (rebates vary by type of referral).
Click here to find out more about Fees and Rebates.
To be able to claim the Medicare rebate for your session you will need to bring a copy of your Mental Health Treatment Plan to your first appointment with your psychologist.
Psychologists are health professionals who work in a range of areas including clinical, health, neuropsychology, sports, forensic, organisational and community settings. To become a fully registered psychologist you must undertake an undergraduate degree, an Honours degree and and at least two years of supervised training and further education in the field of psychology (either a Masters or Doctorate degree).
Psychologists assist people with everyday concerns such as stress and relationship difficulties, as well as mental health issues. Psychologists use “talk therapies” to help people to develop skills to cope with difficulties and to prevent on-going issues. There are a large number of research studies supporting the effectiveness of psychological therapy.
Psychiatrists have completed a medical degree and further training and study related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Psychiatrists specialise in the medical treatment of mental illness and can prescribe medication. Some psychiatrists combine medication with therapy.
The procedure for a first appointment varies from practice to practice, but here is an overview of how things tend to work at CAYA Psychology:
At the beginning of your first session your psychologist will briefly run through important paperwork with you. This will include checking the information you provided in your online-intake documentation (including any medical referrals and service agreements).
We will also discuss issues such as privacy, confidentiality (and limits to this), fees and other important information about sessions.
The remainder of the session is usually spent discussing the issues that have brought you into therapy. As well as developing a thorough understanding of your concerns, your psychologist will explore relevant background history, for example, information about your family, social relationships, work history and any past counselling that you have done. Based on this information we will begin to help you to understand more about what might be causing and maintaining your current issues. If time allows we will also work with you to develop a collaborative and flexible plan for future therapy sessions.
If you are bringing your child for treatment, at their first session, your psychologist will typically start the session with parent/s and child together and discuss (using age-appropriate language) the role of a psychologist, and cover issues such as privacy, confidentiality (and limits to this) as above.
Your psychologist will then discuss the reasons that have brought you and your child into therapy with you all. Your psychologist will then typically spend a portion of the session alone with your child to further discuss issues of concern and to explore your child’s interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes. Your psychologist will then provide some initial feedback to you (the parent). Subsequent consultations will typically follow a similar approach.