Specialty
Specialized, compassionate care for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is widely misunderstood — both by those who have it and by many clinicians. It is not about being "a little OCD" about cleanliness or organization. OCD is a neurobiological condition that creates intrusive, unwanted thoughts and drives compulsive behaviors that, while temporarily relieving, ultimately strengthen the cycle. With the right treatment, recovery is genuinely possible.
OCD manifests in many forms beyond the stereotypes. Common subtypes include contamination OCD, harm OCD (intrusive thoughts about hurting oneself or others), religious or moral scrupulosity, "just right" OCD, relationship OCD, and Pure O (primarily obsessional OCD with mental rather than visible compulsions). Many people suffer for years without recognizing their symptoms as OCD — or without finding a clinician trained to treat it properly.
ERP is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD, with decades of research supporting its efficacy. Treatment involves gradually and systematically confronting feared situations or thoughts (exposure) while resisting the urge to perform compulsions (response prevention). This process teaches the brain that anxiety naturally decreases on its own — and that compulsions are not necessary for safety.
Alongside ERP, Dr. Zuckerman integrates ACT principles to help clients develop psychological flexibility — learning to hold intrusive thoughts without fusing with them, clarify personal values, and build a meaningful life alongside the discomfort rather than waiting for OCD to disappear first.
OCD often first appears in childhood or adolescence, and early intervention is critical. Dr. Zuckerman works with young clients and their families using developmentally adapted ERP, helping parents understand how to support treatment without inadvertently accommodating the OCD — a common pattern that can sustain the disorder.
Many people with OCD feel profound shame about the content of their intrusive thoughts. Dr. Zuckerman brings a deeply informed, non-judgmental perspective to this work. No thought — however disturbing — will shock or change her view of you. Effective treatment requires honesty, and that is only possible in a space of genuine safety.