Why Would a Therapist Advocate for Therapy Alternatives?

Hello, and welcome The Anxiety Doctor website.  I am glad you're here!

A little about me…

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California.  I primarily treat individuals with OCD or who are on the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.  I also specialize in treating anxiety disorders.  Anxiety is a common symptom of OCD, and it can manifest in a multitude of co-occurring diagnoses when someone is dealing with OCD.  Therefore OCD experts tend to also find themselves treating anxiety disorders in their work.  

Did you know OCD is not an anxiety disorder?  Read more about that here. It is so much more complex. That may be why what you have tried so far has not been working. Many people mistakenly slap anti-anxiety band-aids on their obsessive-compulsive symptoms and then become demoralized when they are not getting any better.

The truth is every type of OC spectrum and anxiety disorder is unique and requires its own type of specialized treatment.

I have dedicated the last ten years of my career to treating these disorders, with a heavy focus on OCD.  Why?  OCD and OC traits run in my own family - on both sides!  I know OCD can destroy lives when left untreated.  I also know that when OCD is correctly managed, it can actually contribute to a person's success.  

As the Clinical Director of an OCD treatment institute in Los Angeles, I treated some of the toughest cases of OCD in the country.  Individuals even traveled to the Institute from other countries to get our treatment.  We worked with UCLA's Semel Institute and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital to hospitalize individuals experiencing extreme OCD functional impairment.  After individuals became stabilized, we transitioned them into intensive outpatient treatment with us.  This was a very effective process and the quickest way to return someone to their full-functioning self.

Through this work, I've encountered much heartache as you can imagine.  The lost opportunities before treatment: school, jobs, relationships - the secondary depression and anxiety symptoms that surfaced because of untreated OCD.  But the other source of heartache was simply that the treatment was inaccessible to the average person.  It's success was dependent on your ability to fly out to work with us in person, it was limited to our very restrictive availability, and most of all IT WAS EXPENSIVE.  It was so expensive that one mother of a patient told us she and her husband were thinking about selling their home to help pay for her son's treatment.  It makes me a bit queasy to share that.  (I have to state, for the record, that I had absolutely no say in the program's pricing.)  They were staying nearby in a hotel by the Institute for weeks and weeks.  They were racking up big treatment, lodging, and food bills.  

The majority of the calls we received at the Institute were interested in receiving our treatment for themselves or a loved one... but could not afford it.  

I left that job to do this work at a much more accessible fee in my private practice.  I have been enjoying this rewarding work so much!  It means everything to me to be able to work with a person to help them overcome the treacherous and chronic conditions associated with OCD and OC spectrum disorders.  That is where this website came into focus for me:  I can do even more to help.

It occurred to me that this is not rocket science.  What I teach my clients is not so difficult to understand that they cannot do much of it on their own with proper instruction.  As the health and medical field continues to evolve, direct access to effective treatment will become the standard.  We already see this happening in Psychology with the many mobile apps for general mood and behavior tracking.  It is my personal belief that when it comes to our physical and mental health, there should be no intellectual "property."  There should be no secret treatment methods accessible by only the few.  I believe that healthcare should be a basic human right.  I am sure that there will never be A.I. (artificial intelligence) or A.R. (augmented reality) software that will be able to approximate an authentic human connection experienced in face-to-face therapy.  However, even if the treatment method is not face-to face, you are not going to pass up a chance to get well if you are struggling with a life-threatening medical condition, or a crushing psychological condition.  I wouldn't!   

A person should not suffer the consequences of their OCD or anxiety disorder when therapy is not an option due to cost, geography, or lack of a specialist.  Left untreated, OCD gets worse over time because it is a self-reinforcing cycle.  Ultimately, I believe that given the right information, people will likely make the healthier choices for themselves.  

I hope you use this website as a resource for yourself and your loved ones.  Whether you use this on its own or as a supplement to your own treatment, I look forward to hearing from you and learning about your progress in this journey. 

Cheering for you!

Dr. Stevens