Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Center in San Francisco and Bay Area

OCD Therapy

It’s not about hand-washing, cleaning, and being “neat”.

Does extreme worry feel debilitating to your everyday life? 

Does it feel like obsessive thoughts control you at times resulting in behaviors you may not always want to do, but feel as though you have to in order to ease the fear?

Do you feel like your thoughts are “messed up” due to how “out of place” they seem? 

Do disturbing thoughts feel like real possibilities even if you know they’re irrational?

Maybe you feel like the more you fight your thoughts or try to protect against them, the more “stuck” you actually get.

We get it.

OCD is NOT an “overreaction” to the stressors of life, and “chilling out” or “relaxing” are not the answers to “fixing” it.

OCD is about extreme worry/intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and resulting compulsions (behaviors) that occur in order to relieve these obsessions. 


These compulsions are not something someone with OCD necessarily wants to do, but feel like they have to do in order to ease or neutralize the fear or effect of the intrusive thoughts or worry.

You’re not alone, and we’re here to help.

OCD is more common than you might think, in fact, it affects 1 in 40 adults.

Here at CAC, we specialize in Anxiety and anxiety-related issues ALONE.

That means you can rest assured we’ve worked with what you’re experiencing before and use the most effective therapies like CBT and Exposure Therapy to help you find long-term relief in as little as 5-15 sessions. 

Wondering if you could be experiencing OCD?

Here’s the common cycle of OCD:

Trigger→ Intrusive thought→ Catastrophic assessment→ Obsession→ Distress→ Compulsion 

This process can happen so fast it seems instantaneous. You might skip steps, or there may be extra steps in your case.

Example of Intrusive Thoughts:

  • I’m about to jump in front of the train

  • I should walk over and push that person

  • I should insult this person I don’t know

  • I’m going to punch my brother right now

  • I could steal from this store right now

  • I could grab the money from that tip jar

  • I’ve messed up everything in life

  • The person I’m dating isn’t right for me

  • There’s someone better for me

Examples of Compulsions:

  • Excessive hand-washing

  • Constantly checking in with people to ensure their safety

  • Making sure things are neat and/or symmetrical

  • Checking locks, stoves, light switches repeatedly

  • Repeatedly counting or saying a word in your head

  • Checking trash repeatedly to make sure you aren’t throwing something valuable out

  • Looking for mistakes over and over when writing an essay or paying taxes

  • Looping back while driving to see if you’ve hit someone

  • Mentally replaying situations to make sure you remember them completely

  • Getting reassurance about things from other people

  • Repeatedly apologizing to someone or asking if they’re okay

  • Avoiding crowded areas

Intrusive thoughts and fears don’t have to control your life anymore.

At CAC, we’ll work with you to better understand these thoughts, process them, and create effective and long term coping skills to better handle these thoughts so compulsive behaviors feel less necessary.

We know you may be exhausted and have tried everything you can to get relief, and we get that talking about it may feel nerve-racking or intimidating. 

We’re here to offer a judgement-free space for you to discuss your fears, thoughts, and worries in a safe environment where you can find understanding, empathy, and real evidence based tools to feel better faster.