Is this actually ERP? A worksheet before you book OCD therapy

Ask for the treatment in plain words

Say:

“I am looking for treatment for OCD. Please describe how you use exposure and response prevention in an ordinary week.”

Write down the answer:

Listen for all four parts:

• You and the therapist identify obsessions, triggers, avoidance, and compulsions—including mental rituals or reassurance seeking.
• You agree on exercises that approach feared thoughts or situations.
• The plan includes not doing the usual compulsion or neutralizing ritual.
• Practice happens gradually, with your knowledge and agreement, not as a surprise.

ERP means approaching a trigger while resisting the compulsive response. A label such as “CBT-informed” does not answer whether the therapist actually does that work.¹

Ask where the training came from

“What specific ERP training and supervision have you completed, and how often do you currently treat OCD?”

• They name a course, institute, supervised placement, or experienced supervisor.
• They can explain how OCD treatment differs from general anxiety treatment.
• They answer directly when you ask how much of their current work involves OCD.
• If they are an associate, they identify the supervisor responsible for the work.

A degree or California license permits a person to practice within a professional scope. It does not certify ERP expertise. IOCDF recommends asking about both specific ERP familiarity and training.³

Test the plan with one example

You do not need to reveal your most painful thought during a screening call. Offer a mild or invented example:

“Suppose someone repeatedly checks the stove. What might the first few sessions involve?”

Write down what you hear:

More consistent with ERP: assessment, a shared map or hierarchy, planned exposure, response prevention, practice between sessions, and review of what happened.

Pause and ask again: only exploring where the fear began; promising certainty; repeatedly proving the feared event will not happen; or describing exposure without response prevention.

Family warmth still belongs in care. NICE guidance says treatment should help relatives reduce participation in compulsions, avoidance, and reassurance in a sensitive, supportive way.²

Verify the practical facts

• I checked the individual clinician’s California license at DCA License Search.
• I know whether sessions are in person, by video, or both.
• I know the session length and full cash fee.
• I know whether the clinician bills my plan, gives a superbill, or is private pay only.
• I asked what happens if weekly outpatient ERP is not enough.
• I know who handles medication questions; the therapist did not imply that ERP makes medication illegitimate.

For insurance, call the behavioral-health number on your card and say: “I need a clinician trained in ERP for OCD. Please locate an available in-network appointment and give me the reference number for this call.” If the plan cannot arrange appropriate care, use the California timely-access record and escalation script →.

Make the booking decision

Book a first session if the answers are concrete enough for you to understand the treatment, the clinician welcomes questions, and the cost and format are workable.

Ask one more question if the person says “CBT” but cannot describe exposure and response prevention, or lists ERP without naming any training or supervision.

Keep looking if the therapist guarantees an outcome, refuses reasonable questions, proposes surprise exposures, or cannot verify an active California license.

Your decision:

• Book
• Ask: __________________________________________________________
• Compare another clinician
• Call my plan and request help locating ERP