Our Approach
At MidAtlantic Center for OCD & Anxiety (MCOA), our priority is to provide quality, evidenced-based treatment in a collaborative, compassionate way. We strive to provide problem-focused, time limited treatment to help clients experience positive changes in their lives. Our approach is grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), including exposure based therapies, such as Exposure and Response Prevention and the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) model. We believe that this focus on scientifically-supported interventions leads to improved client outcomes.
MCOA recognizes that each person’s reasons for seeking services are unique. We work collaboratively with each client in the initial sessions to gather information, identify treatment goals, and develop an individualized treatment plan. An early emphasis on education about diagnosis and treatment as well as skill-building prepares clients to actively participate in the next phase of treatment, which typically involves exposure-based therapies (for anxiety disorders), such as ERP (for OCD) and the comB model (BFRBs).
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy based on the idea that interactive relationships exist between thoughts, feelings, and actions.
What are BFRBs?
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) refer to a group of self-grooming behaviors, typically involving the hair, skin, and/or nails, that are excessive, difficult to stop, can cause physical damage, and interfere with one’s daily life and activities.
What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder that involves upsetting intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that interfere with one’s daily life or relationships.
Exposure with Response Prevention
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of CBT that is research-supported as a highly effective treatment for OCD.
Comprehensive Behavior Model
The Comprehensive Behavioral Model (comB) is an effective, evidence-based treatment approach for helping people with BFRBs to decrease these behaviors and their impact on daily life activities and quality of life.
What are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety is a normal, adaptive part of the human experience. An anxiety disorder happens when anxiety becomes irrational or excessive and interferes with one’s daily functioning and quality of life.
Parenting Challenges
Parents are impacted by their children’s difficulties and benefit from education, guidance, and support about how best to help their children.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure Therapy, a form of CBT, helps people face and overcome their fears by helping them gradually confront what they are afraid of in a controlled way.
“Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which ones to surf.”
– Jonatan Martensson
