How is ERP different from traditional talk therapy (psychotherapy)?
Traditional talk therapy (or psychotherapy) tries to improve a psychological condition by helping the patient gain “insight” into their problems. Talk therapy can be a very valuable treatment for some disorders, but it has not been shown to be effective at treating the active symptoms of OCD.
Excerpt from International OCD Foundation: ( https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/tratment/erp )
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects parents, children, families of all ages and sizes. How is your family? How is your child? Have you seen the signs or symptoms of OCD. Is there a lot of anxiety and stress? Do you have a plan? Do you know how to get past OCD?
Family OCD’s Steps to Freedom from OCD Plan
- Analysis – we have to analyze what all is involved: triggers, thoughts and images (obsessions), compulsions, etc…
- Develop Steps – we decide on what is first and develop steps around that beginning
- Make a plan of action – when and how are the steps going to be implemented
- Involved everyone – the person suffering, the whole family or all caretakers have to be involved and committed to make this work the best
- Introduce coping modalities
- Begin steps of plan and blend in modalities
- Do follow up and checkin
- Final review and plan for future