McCullough Family Therapy provides OCD treatment in Lakewood, Colorado, using Exposure and Response Prevention, the most well-researched approach for OCD available. We help teens and adults understand what's driving the cycle and build real tools for breaking it.
OCD is a mental health condition built around a cycle: an intrusive, unwanted thought creates intense distress, and a compulsion follows in an attempt to relieve it. The relief is temporary. The cycle comes back, usually more forcefully.
The thoughts in OCD feel alarming precisely because they're out of character. People with OCD are often deeply conscientious. Their minds have learned to flag things as dangerous when they aren't. The content can vary widely: contamination, harm, doubt, symmetry, or intrusive thoughts that feel sharply at odds with who you are.
Obsession triggers distress. Compulsion provides temporary relief. The cycle repeats, often growing stronger over time.
They feel alarming because they're so out of character. That gap between the thought and your values is actually a sign of OCD, not a character flaw.
Exposure and Response Prevention has strong research support. People who stay with it see real, lasting change.
"The compulsion isn't the problem. It's the attempted solution. That's exactly where ERP starts."
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard treatment for OCD, backed by decades of research. The goal isn't to stop intrusive thoughts from appearing. It's to change your relationship to them so the compulsion loses its urgency.
Over time, your brain learns that you can tolerate the discomfort without performing the compulsion. The cycle weakens. The thoughts lose their grip. That's what recovery looks like.
What changes with ERP:
Obsessions stop automatically triggering compulsions when you practice responding differently.
You build real confidence in your ability to sit with uncertainty without acting on it.
Time consumed by rituals shrinks. You get more of your day back.
You learn to recognize the OCD voice for what it is, not as truth.
OCD is often misunderstood because it doesn't always look like what people expect. These are some of the most common ways it presents, and each one responds well to ERP.
Our OCD treatment team uses evidence-based ERP to help teens and adults understand the cycle and build real tools for managing it. As our practice grows, we continue adding clinicians with specialized OCD training.
Camryn works with teens and adults experiencing OCD and anxiety, utilizing Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help clients spend less time consumed by worry and build a life guided by values rather than fear.
Our full team includes additional licensed therapists.
Meet Our TeamWe offer in-person OCD treatment at our Lakewood office and secure telehealth sessions for clients throughout Colorado.
3900 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite 435
Lakewood, CO 80235
Serving Lakewood, Littleton, and the greater Denver metro area.
Secure online sessions available to clients throughout Colorado.
ERP is effective in a telehealth format, and many clients find it helpful to practice exposures in their own environment.
We offer a free initial consultation so you can connect with a therapist before committing to the process.
Insurance: We are an out-of-network provider. We have partnered with Mentaya to help you submit out-of-network claims for reimbursement. Some of our clinicians do accept Medicaid, though they do not always have openings. Medicaid is not accepted for court-ordered services.
Questions? Call 303-551-9214.
This is your space to be you. When you feel safe, supported, and heard, you're going to feel comfortable doing the hard work that OCD treatment asks of you. Connection with your therapist leads to the kind of openness that makes ERP actually work.
We believe in lasting change. OCD doesn't disappear overnight, but the cycle does weaken. You don't have to keep managing it alone.
Our clinicians work together, combining unique insights and expertise to make sure you receive the best possible care.
Wherever you are on your journey, you can feel confident you're in a safe, judgment-free space built for healing and growth.
Our clinicians tailor their approach to you, using the modalities that best fit your needs, goals, and personality.
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is a mental health condition built around a cycle: an intrusive, unwanted thought creates intense distress, and a compulsion follows in an attempt to relieve it. The relief is temporary. The cycle comes back, usually more forcefully.
OCD is not about being a neat freak or having high standards. It's a diagnosable condition that responds well to the right treatment.
Anxiety and OCD can look similar, but they're distinct conditions that respond to different treatments. General anxiety involves worry about real-world concerns: work, health, relationships. OCD involves intrusive thoughts that feel out of character, followed by compulsions designed to neutralize them.
The compulsion is the key distinction. If you're doing something repeatedly to make a thought go away, that pattern points more toward OCD than general anxiety.
PTSD involves intrusive thoughts tied to a traumatic event that actually happened. OCD intrusive thoughts aren't memories. They're often about things that haven't happened and that the person doesn't want to happen. The distress is about what might be possible, not what already occurred.
The treatments are different, too: PTSD responds to approaches like EMDR and CBT, while OCD responds to Exposure and Response Prevention.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD. It works by gradually exposing you to the thoughts or situations that trigger your obsessions, while supporting you in resisting the compulsive response.
Over time, this reduces the anxiety those triggers cause and breaks the cycle. ERP is done at a pace that works for you. The goal is to change your relationship to intrusive thoughts so the compulsion loses its urgency.
It depends on the severity of symptoms, how many OCD themes are present, and how consistently you're able to practice between sessions. Many people see meaningful improvement within 12 to 20 sessions.
Your therapist will set realistic goals with you and check in regularly as you make progress.
Yes. We offer secure telehealth sessions for OCD treatment to clients throughout Colorado. ERP is effective online, and many clients find it useful to practice exposures in their own environment.
The first step is a free 20-minute consultation. It's a low-pressure conversation to learn about what you're dealing with, answer your questions, and figure out whether we're the right fit.
You can schedule online or call us at 303-551-9214.
Still have questions?
Contact Us
McCullough Family Therapy is a group therapy practice offering OCD treatment, couples counseling, family therapy, and individual therapy for anxiety, trauma, and life transitions. Our licensed therapists work with clients in person in Lakewood, Colorado, and virtually throughout the state.
We offer in-person sessions at our Lakewood office and secure telehealth throughout Colorado. Free initial consultations are available. We are an out-of-network provider and have partnered with Mentaya to support out-of-network insurance reimbursement.
3900 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite 435, Lakewood, CO 80235
303-551-9214 | connect@mcculloughfamilytherapy.com
McCullough Family Therapy does not provide crisis services. If you or someone you care for is experiencing a mental health emergency, please call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. You may also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
