When OCD starts taking over your teenager's world.
Therapy for adolescents navigating intrusive thoughts, compulsions, reassurance-seeking, avoidance, and the uncertainty that can make everyday life feel much harder than it looks.
Virtual therapy for teens in New York
OCD can look different in teenagers than you might expect.
And sometimes it looks like anxiety, avoidance, perfectionism, or simply being “stuck.”
Your teenager may know that something they're doing doesn't make sense and still feel unable to stop.
They may repeatedly ask whether something is okay, return to the same question, check something over and over, avoid certain situations, spend hours researching or thinking through possibilities, or become extremely distressed when they cannot get the certainty they're looking for.
Sometimes compulsions are easy to recognize.
Other times, they're happening almost entirely inside your teenager's head.
They may be mentally reviewing conversations, replaying memories, comparing possibilities, trying to prove that a feared outcome won't happen, or analyzing what their thoughts mean about them.
And from the outside, it can be difficult to understand why reassurance doesn't seem to help.
You may find yourself answering the same question over and over, adjusting family routines to accommodate fears, or wondering whether you're helping your teenager or accidentally making the OCD cycle stronger.
OCD is not your teenager choosing to be difficult. And you don't have to figure out the cycle alone.
You might be noticing…
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They can't stop thinking about it
A question, mistake, conversation, decision, or possibility can become the focus of hours of thinking and revisiting. They may repeatedly analyze what happened, try to make sure they haven't made a mistake, or feel unable to move forward without knowing for certain.
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They keep checking, asking, or avoiding
They may repeatedly ask for reassurance, check schoolwork or messages, repeat actions, review memories, or avoid situations that trigger uncertainty. These behaviors may bring temporary relief, but the doubt often returns.
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OCD is starting to affect your family
You may find yourself answering the same questions, participating in rituals, changing routines, or helping your teenager avoid situations because you want to reduce their distress. You may also notice increasing anxiety, emotional distress, or interference with school, friendships, activities, or everyday life.
Therapy can help your teenager respond differently to OCD.
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Understanding the OCD cycle
Help your teenager recognize how intrusive thoughts, anxiety, compulsions, reassurance, and avoidance can reinforce one another.
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Reducing compulsions and reassurance-seeking
Learn how responding differently to OCD can gradually reduce its influence rather than providing temporary relief that keeps the cycle going.
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Building tolerance for uncertainty
Your teenager can learn that they don't need complete certainty before making a decision, participating in an activity, or moving forward.
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Approaching rather than avoiding
Treatment can help adolescents gradually face situations OCD has taught them to fear or avoid.
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Making room for difficult thoughts
The goal isn't to eliminate every uncomfortable thought. It's to help your teenager learn that a thought can exist without requiring a response.
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Helping parents respond effectively
Parents can learn how to support treatment without unintentionally becoming part of the OCD cycle.
Supporting Your Teen Through OCD Treatment
When you're supporting a teenager with OCD, understanding what they're experiencing can make a meaningful difference. I work collaboratively with both adolescents and their parents, helping families understand the OCD cycle and develop more effective ways to respond to intrusive thoughts, compulsions, reassurance-seeking, and avoidance.
Parents are an important part of adolescent OCD treatment.
Together, we can identify patterns that may be keeping OCD going, reduce family accommodation, and find ways to support your teenager without reinforcing the need for certainty or reassurance.
My approach incorporates Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), an evidence-based treatment for OCD. ERP helps adolescents gradually face situations that trigger anxiety or uncertainty while learning to resist the compulsions or reassurance-seeking that OCD tells them they need in order to feel safe.
Treatment is collaborative, developmentally appropriate, and tailored to your teenager and your family not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
OCD Presentations I Work With
I provide outpatient OCD therapy for adolescents experiencing intrusive thoughts and compulsions, including perfectionism and “just right” OCD, contamination fears, real-event and false-memory OCD, scrupulosity, and other anxiety-driven OCD presentations.
Cases requiring intensive ERP, acute psychiatric care, or specialized multidisciplinary treatment may be referred to an appropriate provider.
This may be a good fit if you're…
Experiencing intrusive or unwanted thoughts
Asking for reassurance repeatedly
Checking, repeating, reviewing, or mentally analyzing
Avoiding situations because of OCD-related fears
Spending significant amounts of time trying to feel certain
Becoming distressed over mistakes or uncertainty
Experiencing contamination or illness fears
Experiencing “just right” thoughts or compulsions
Spending hours mentally reviewing conversations or memories
Having difficulty concentrating because of intrusive thoughts or compulsions
Experiencing OCD that is interfering with school, friendships, family life, or activities
Parent Education & Resources
You don't need to become an OCD expert to support your teenager.
Understanding OCD can make it easier to recognize what's happening, respond without judgment, and know when professional support may be helpful.
International OCD Foundation
A leading organization providing education about OCD, treatment, ERP, and resources for individuals and families.
OCD in Children & Adolescents
Learn more about how OCD can present in young people and how symptoms may affect school, family life, and daily functioning.
Explore resources for families →
Supporting a Teen With OCD
Parents can sometimes become involved in reassurance, rituals, or avoidance without realizing it. Learning about family accommodation can help you understand how to support your teenager while treatment addresses the OCD cycle.
Learn about family accommodation →
NYC OCD & Anxiety Programs
If your teenager may benefit from a psychiatric evaluation or medication consultation, these NYC programs and providers offer specialized care for children and adolescents with OCD and related anxiety disorders.
NYC OCD & Anxiety Programs
Weill Cornell Medicine — Pediatric OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders (POCAT): Specialized evaluation and treatment for children and adolescents, including medication evaluation and parent guidance.
NYU Langone Child Study Center: Pediatric OCD evaluation and treatment through a multidisciplinary child and adolescent mental-health team.
NewYork-Presbyterian Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Pediatric psychiatric services for OCD and anxiety, including specialized OCD programming.
A note for families: Availability, age ranges, insurance participation, and whether a provider is accepting new patients can change. Please contact the practice directly to confirm current services and determine whether a psychiatric evaluation is appropriate for your teenager.
Questions you may be asking
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No. A formal diagnosis isn't required to schedule a consultation. We can discuss what you've been observing and determine whether OCD-focused treatment appears appropriate.
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This is something we can discuss during the consultation. Adolescents may be hesitant to talk about intrusive thoughts or compulsions, particularly when they feel embarrassed or afraid of being judged.
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Parent involvement can be an important part of adolescent OCD treatment. The specific level and format of involvement depends on your teenager's age, needs, treatment goals, and clinical circumstances.
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You're not alone. Many parents understandably reassure their child because they want to reduce distress. Therapy can help families understand when reassurance is supportive and when it may unintentionally reinforce the OCD cycle.
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OCD doesn't always involve obvious behaviors. Mental compulsions can include reviewing, analyzing, comparing, mentally checking, or repeatedly trying to reach certainty.
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Yes. OCD can become intertwined with relationships through reassurance-seeking, doubt, checking feelings, analyzing interactions, or fears about whether a relationship is “right.”
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You can learn more about fees, scheduling, and what to expect from the therapy process on my Fees & FAQ page.
[Learn About Fees & Getting Started →].
Please note: Due to my professional role within New York City Public Schools, I do not provide private-practice services to students currently enrolled in NYCPS.
I work with eligible adolescents attending private, independent, faith-based, and charter schools.
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No. Due to my professional role within New York City Public Schools, I do not provide private-practice services to students currently enrolled in NYCPS.
I work with eligible adolescents attending private, independent, faith-based, and charter schools.
You don't have to keep negotiating with your thoughts.
OCD can make you believe that if you just think about something a little longer, check one more time, or find the right answer, you'll finally feel certain.
Therapy can help you step out of that cycle and make room for a life that isn't organized around getting rid of uncertainty.
You can learn to move forward without having every answer first.