Search
Menu Search

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Program

Have You Been Suffering with OCD? Is Outpatient Treatment Not Enough?

The OCD Program at The Retreat is a residential treatment program that combines evidence-based specialty care for severe OCD and related disorders with a world-renowned multi-disciplinary team of experts in all areas of mental health. Developed by OCD treatment expert and author Jon Hershfield, MFT in collaboration with The Retreat’s leadership team, this program is designed to provide intensive, best-practice OCD treatment and comprehensive, top quality residential care without a one-size-fits-all approach.

What conditions are treated within the OCD Program at The Retreat? 

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Sub-types including:
    • SO-OCD (sexual orientation obsessions, a.k.a. HOCD)
    • POCD (obsessive fear of attraction to children)
    • Harm OCD (unwanted violent thoughts)
    • False memory OCD
    • Health anxiety OCD/hypochondria OCD
    • Moral OCD
    • Contamination OCD
    • Hyper-responsibility OCD

Who is the OCD program for? 

Those with OCD or a related disorder who:

  • Struggle with a severity level not suited for outpatient treatment
  • Have tried multiple treatments without symptom improvement
  • Have a co-occurring mental health condition, such as a mood disorder, personality disorder, or substance use disorder
  • Are seeking a consistent treatment environment away from home

What does The Retreat’s OCD program offer?

Every new resident is evaluated and assigned an attending psychiatrist who works in collaboration with a cognitive-behavioral specialist to design your personalized exposure-based treatment plan. This team meets regularly to update the treatment plan throughout your stay and meets weekly with your entire treatment team so everyone is always on the same page.

OCD treatment at The Retreat includes:

Comprehensive OCD evaluation

A thorough assessment of your OCD symptoms and severity is conducted by the director of our OCD program and is the start of an ongoing and consistent collaboration with your attending psychiatrist and your OCD treatment team.

Intensive treatment with trained OCD specialists

The frequency and length of your OCD sessions are individualized to your specific treatment needs and may range from a few times a week to multiple hours a day.  Every OCD session is one-on-one with an OCD specialist who is a part of your OCD treatment team. Sessions include psychoeducation, cognitive therapy, mindfulness training, and exposure and response prevention (ERP).  

Individual sessions with your doctor

All residents regularly meet with their attending psychiatrist for medication management and therapy at a frequency that is best suited to your individualized treatment plan. Your doctor and your OCD treatment team stay in constant contact to provide the most comprehensive care.

Specialized treatment for co-occurring conditions

Residents with OCD who are also challenged by co-occurring conditions have expanded treatment teams specially designed by your OCD specialist team and attending psychiatrist. Specialized treatment for these conditions may be provided by your doctor, our addiction specialists, psychologists with expertise in personality disorders, and experts from the larger Sheppard Pratt system.

24/7 support

Our nursing team is trained in helping you resist compulsions and manage challenging emotions that arise while you work on your OCD.

Weekly group therapy for OCD

Group therapy for OCD is led by our team of specialists and covers a wide range of useful skills and education, such as understanding mental rituals, tolerating uncertainty, using self-compassion, making ERP effective and more.

Weekly OCD support group

Residents with OCD meet weekly to set ERP goals and support each other peer-to-peer with the facilitation of an OCD specialist.

Mindfulness training

The Retreat wellness team offers a variety of meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness practices that can further enhance your OCD treatment.

Family therapy

In addition to educating your loved ones about OCD and how they can help you in your treatment journey, family therapy that addresses the whole system can be included as part of your individualized treatment.

What is different about the residential OCD program at The Retreat? 

  • The OCD program at The Retreat is active and intensive, including frequent contact with your psychiatrist and OCD specialist and a personalized daily schedule designed to keep you focused on OCD mastery during your stay.
  • Our approach to ERP combines a habituation approach (reduced distress through repeated gradual exposure to your triggers) with an inhibitory learning model (emphasizing distress tolerance and generalization for long term benefits).
  • Our approach emphasizes the importance of identifying and eliminating mental rituals, not just overt physical behaviors.
  • Our approach rejects the notion that ERP is superficial or cruel and intentionally approaches this challenging work in a way that is both compassionate and validating.

The OCD program is built into The Retreat’s robust mental health program, making us better equipped to address complex cases, such as when residents have additional needs beyond their OCD treatment. This includes group and individual treatment options led by experts experienced in the treatment of co-occurring:

Further, as part of Sheppard Pratt, an organization renowned worldwide for its mental health and social services, residents can also easily access specialty consultation for issues related to autism spectrum disorder, trauma, eating disorders, mood disorders, and neurological disorders.

In addition to the OCD-specific programming, residents in the OCD program also participate in The Retreat’s programming for overall improved mental health, including:

  • DBT and radically open DBT (RO-DBT) groups
  • Psychodynamic groups for better understanding the role of OCD in your relationships and life narrative
  • Yoga, art therapy, and other forms of recreational therapy

What sets the OCD Program at The Retreat apart from other residential treatment options is that we do not implement a cookie-cutter approach to treatment. Our aim is to respect the unique qualities of every resident and treat the whole person. Treatment is about more than a reduction of symptoms, but about achieving a healthier, more joyful life that is sustainable in the long term.

How We Use ERP, CBT, and More to Effectively Treat OCD

1 / 1

1 / 1

Play Video

Meet Our Clinicians Specializing in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Jon Hershfield, MFT

    Director, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Molly Schiffer, LCPC

    Associate Director, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Brenda Kijesky, LCMFT

    Therapist, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Rebecca Billerio-Riff, LCSW-C

    Therapist, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Shane Hart, LCPC

    Therapist, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Amy Mandelberg, LCPC

    Therapist, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Melissa Mondich, LCSW-C

    Therapist, The Center for OCD and Anxiety
    Specialties:
    Anxiety Disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Receiving the best therapy for OCD in the country combined with comfortable accommodations and a supportive community made this stay so beneficial for my life moving forward.

Even when life feels out of control, solutions are within reach.

The Retreat offers residential psychiatric rehabilitation to people experiencing behavioral health issues, including depression, OCD, anxiety, personality disorders, and co-occurring disorders.