Cbt question

[zx123]

Would a therapist who has been practising for two years be experienced enough to treat ocd?

[orange]

Perhaps if they are trained in CBT including ERP. I found it very hard to find someone who was trained in ERP even though they had been practicing for a long time and were very good otherwise.

[Ashley]

Why wouldn't they?

Sometimes trainee psychologists are the most enthusiastic therapists I come across, and often they have far more upto date knowledge that therapists who have 20 years of experience. Their length of service is irrelevant ZX123 but what is important is how much 'knowledge' in treating OCD do they have.  Do they attend OCD training etc, read the books etc. Usually, I find that within 10/15 minutes of chatting to a therapist I can gauge if they understand OCD and are likely to be able to help just based off their comments and terminology of OCD.

[Ashley]

Just now, orange said:

I found it very hard to find someone who was trained in ERP

But, you don't really need someone trained in ERP to overcome OCD.  We need a CBT therapist, not an ERP therapist.

[ashipinharbor]

3 minutes ago, Ashley said:

Why wouldn't they?

Sometimes trainee psychologists are the most enthusiastic therapists I come across, and often they have far more upto date knowledge that therapists who have 20 years of experience. Their length of service is irrelevant ZX123 but what is important is how much 'knowledge' in treating OCD do they have.  Do they attend OCD training etc, read the books etc. Usually, I find that within 10/15 minutes of chatting to a therapist I can gauge if they understand OCD and are likely to be able to help just based off their comments and terminology of OCD.

 

3 minutes ago, Ashley said:

But, you don't really need someone trained in ERP to overcome OCD.  We need a CBT therapist, not an ERP therapist.

Thanks for your input Ash! Makes me feel better about the anxiety expert I'm going to go see.

[orange]

13 minutes ago, Ashley said:

But, you don't really need someone trained in ERP to overcome OCD.  We need a CBT therapist, not an ERP therapist.

You can get over OCD without ERP? I thought that it was so important. And I think the therapist I went to said that it was the only way. But I think she didn't cover the C part of CBT enough. Although she did encourage me to look at how my physical health was affecting my mind too.

[OceanDweller]

Of equal importance to the competence of your therapist is your own dedication to the process. I believe a great many folk fail to get better because they're not prepared to put in the hours and hours of graft required. Or that they allow fear to inhibit their progress. This is a partnership after all. A two-way street. Not everyone who doesn't get well can lay the blame exclusively at their therapist's door. This is not, of course, a comment on you specifically zx123, just a point that all those about to engage in therapy shouid remain mindful of.

[Ashley]

2 hours ago, orange said:

You can get over OCD without ERP? I thought that it was so important. And I think the therapist I went to said that it was the only way. But I think she didn't cover the C part of CBT enough. Although she did encourage me to look at how my physical health was affecting my mind too.

 

CBT is two part, cognitive and behavioural.  The behavioural will involve the exercises and testing out of what happens if you don't do compulsions, effectively exposure to the things we fear.