- Kingston, Ontario
Exposure and Response Prevention
(ERP) Therapy
If you’ve been in talk therapy for OCD and felt like you were going in circles, you’re not imagining it. OCD doesn’t ease when you reason with it or reassure it; those are the very things that keep it going. ERP works differently. It’s the treatment the research keeps pointing back to, and it’s built specifically for how OCD actually operates.
- Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation
- No Commitment Required
- In-Person & Virtual Sessions
- Understanding OCD
What ERP Is
Exposure and Response Prevention is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed for OCD. Instead of digging into why an intrusive thought showed up, ERP changes what happens next, so the thought slowly loses its grip.
Why It’s Considered the Gold Standard
ERP is the most extensively researched psychological treatment for OCD, and it’s recommended as a
first-line therapy in clinical practice guidelines.
Decades of studies show it produces meaningful, lasting reductions in OCD symptoms for the majority of people who complete it.
The Two Parts
How It Works
ERP has two parts, and you control both.
Exposure
Gradually and deliberately facing the thoughts, images, or situations that set off your anxiety, starting small, at a pace you set.
Response Prevention
Resisting the compulsion that usually brings quick relief: the checking, washing, reassurance-seeking, or mental reviewing.
At first, that’s uncomfortable. But each time you sit with the discomfort without doing the compulsion, your brain gathers evidence that the feared outcome doesn’t arrive — and the anxiety settles on its own. That process is called habituation, and it’s how the loop finally loosens.
- IN THE ROOM
What a Session Looks Like
You and your therapist build a “ladder” together, from mildly uncomfortable to more challenging, and climb it one rung at a time. Nothing is sprung on you, and nothing is forced. You practise together in session and, over time, on your own between sessions; that’s where the change takes hold.
- A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Why General Talk Therapy Often Isn’t Enough
Supportive, insight-based therapy is genuinely helpful for many things, but with OCD it can quietly backfire. Endlessly exploring and reassuring an obsession can become one more compulsion, giving short-term relief while strengthening the loop. ERP-trained therapists recognize that trap and work with you differently.
Looking Ahead
What to Expect
ERP asks something of you: a willingness to feel discomfort on purpose, briefly, in service of getting your life back. It’s focused work, and it’s also one of the most hopeful, precisely because it’s so effective. Many people notice real change within a few months, though everyone’s pace is their own.
Our Team
Your ERP-Trained Team
These therapists have specific training in Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD.
Victoria Davies
Registered Psychotherapist
Ready to Try the
Approach Built for OCD?
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation. No commitment, no pressure — just a conversation about what you’re going through and how we can help.
Or call us directly at (613) 539-5707
Our Space
Our Counselling Office in Kingston
