One of the biggest obstacles to effective management of OCD is managing your expectations, whether you have OCD or are a carer, family or friend.

For those who are new to therapy, new to OCD, or both, it is not surprising if you do have unrealistic or unexpressed expectations. Even if you have had therapy before, it is unlikely that you will have experienced the same approach we practice.  So, in order to help you achieve your objectives, we aim to keep our side of the relationship as clear and transparent as we can. We do this by:

Providing as much information as we can
Before embarking upon therapy we give you the opportunity to read about us and what we do here on the website. We are also available by phone during business hours (9:00am – 6:pm GMT), live chat and email 24 hours. We can also send detailed information about the Centre and our approach by email or post.

Keeping it simple and straightforward
We are not here to blind our clients with psychotherapy jargon and clinical terms, we are here to form a working relationship on equal terms. Keeping our communication clear is one way we do this, as is giving it to our clients straight. We don’t mislead them into thinking that this is a short-term condition which can be cured with minimal work on their part.

Checking your expectations
Quite simply, we ask our clients what they would like to achieve and through joint discussion, decide whether their goals are achievable, or more importantly, measurable. In this way, the client and the therapist know what they are working towards and can check progress, adjust as necessary and set new goals.

Educating you about OCD
Provide them with sufficient resources to become informed about OCD and what can be achieved. We encourage them to learn as much as possible about their condition and realistic pace and level of recovery.

Setting the correct environment
OCD is a lifestyle condition which affects not only the person concerned but any other people who become involved, such as family, friends and carers who don’t always realise that they are colluding and exacerbating the condition. In some cases it is helpful for families, friends and carers to have access to information, coping skills and support so that they can manage their own expectations for the future to best help themselves and the person they care for. The OCD Centre is unique in providing resources to clients and their carers.

Communicating early and often
We ask our clients for regular feedback and encourage communication. To this end we provide clients with regular feedback forms so that they can raise issues and find resolution.