OCD
HCPC-registered psychologists trained in evidence-based interventions
OCD responds well to the right kind of treatment. Every psychologist on this directory is HCPC-registered and offers NICE-recommended CBT with ERP — the treatment with the strongest evidence base for OCD.
Understanding OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects around 1 to 2% of the UK population. It is much more than the casual use of the word in everyday conversation suggests. OCD involves:
- Obsessions — unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, urges or doubts that cause significant distress and won’t go away
- Compulsions — repeated mental or physical actions someone feels driven to carry out in an attempt to neutralise, check, or undo the obsessions
Common obsessional themes include fears of contamination, fears of harming others, fears of having done something wrong, intrusive sexual or violent thoughts, religious or moral scrupulosity, perfectionism, and intrusive doubts about identity or relationships. Compulsions can be visible (washing, checking, repeating actions, arranging) or entirely internal (mental reviewing, silent reassurance-seeking, mental counting).
People with OCD often describe knowing the obsessions and compulsions are excessive — and finding that knowledge does nothing to make them stop. OCD is not a personality trait or a quirk. It is a recognised mental health condition, ranked by the World Health Organization as among the most disabling conditions worldwide when untreated.
Why the right kind of treatment matters for OCD
OCD is one of the conditions where wrong treatment can make symptoms worse. Generic talking therapy, supportive counselling, or approaches that involve reassurance-giving can inadvertently strengthen the obsessional cycle rather than break it. This is well documented in clinical literature, and it is one of the reasons OCD-UK and OCD Action — the two main UK patient charities — actively campaign for access to specialist evidence-based treatment.
HCPC-registered psychologists trained in OCD have:
- Specific training in CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the treatment NICE recommends as first-line
- Understanding of how to work with the full range of OCD presentations, including ‘pure O’ (mental compulsions only), perinatal OCD, and OCD with comorbid conditions
- A duty under HCPC standards of proficiency to work within evidence-based frameworks and to recognise the limits of their competence
- Ongoing supervision and statutory accountability
Of equal importance: a trained psychologist knows what not to do. They will not provide reassurance about obsessional content, will not engage in cognitive disputing of the content of obsessions, and will not take symptoms at face value as evidence of underlying problems they aren’t.
What evidence-based treatment looks like
CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with ERP is the gold-standard psychological treatment for OCD. It works by gradually and systematically exposing the person to situations that trigger their obsessions while supporting them to resist the compulsive response. Over time, the brain learns that the feared outcome doesn’t happen, and the obsession loses its grip.
NICE recommends that OCD treatment intensity is matched to severity:
- For mild OCD with mild functional impairment: low-intensity CBT (including ERP), up to 10 therapist hours
- For moderate OCD: more intensive CBT (more than 10 therapist hours) or a course of an SSRI antidepressant prescribed by a doctor
- For severe OCD: combined intensive CBT and SSRI medication, with support from specialist services
ERP requires a trained practitioner. It is not generic CBT. Many therapists who deliver CBT for anxiety or depression do not have specific ERP training, which is why selecting a clinician with explicit OCD experience matters.
What about other approaches?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Inference-based CBT (I-CBT), and metacognitive therapy are all sometimes used in OCD treatment, often as adjuncts to or alongside ERP. The evidence base for these as primary treatments for OCD is smaller than for CBT-ERP, but they may suit some people. NICE’s first-line recommendation remains CBT with ERP.
Generic counselling, person-centred therapy without an ERP component, and reassurance-based approaches are not recommended by NICE as treatment for OCD.
Who you'll find on this directory
HCPC-registered Clinical, Counselling and Health Psychologists who work with:
- Contamination OCD
- Checking OCD
- Harm OCD and intrusive violent or sexual thoughts
- Relationship OCD (ROCD)
- Religious or moral OCD (scrupulosity)
- Pure obsessional OCD (‘pure O’)
- Perinatal OCD
- OCD with comorbid anxiety, depression, or autism
Each profile shows the psychologist’s HCPC registration number and their specific OCD training, including ERP experience.
Common Questions
Is this OCD or am I just an anxious person?
How long does OCD therapy actually take?
Do I have to go on medication?
Not necessarily. CBT with ERP is National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended as a first line treatment and works well on its own for many people*. Some choose to combine it with medication and that is always a decision made together with a GP or psychiatrist.
What are the most common signs of OCD?
Does OCD ever go away completely?
For many people OCD becomes very manageable rather than something that needs constant vigilance, though it can ease and resurface at different points in life, often around periods of stress. The tools you build in therapy tend to help even during a flare up.
Can children get OCD too?
What happens in a first OCD appointment?
The first session is mostly about understanding your particular pattern of thoughts and compulsions rather than diving straight into treatment. There is no expectation to have it all figured out beforehand.