The US has seen an enormous surge in mental health awareness in recent years, leading to increased access to virtual therapy. While many teletherapy companies market themselves as a “one-stop shop” for treating various types of mental health disorders, this approach isn’t as beneficial for people managing complex conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This left millions unsure where to turn for help, because the general talk therapy offered by most virtual providers can be harmful for people with OCD, and if specialized treatment was available, it was almost never covered by insurance, costing an average of $350 per session.
To address the needs of the OCD community, we knew they needed a new option—an effective, affordable, and convenient way to get better, created specifically for people with OCD. That’s why NOCD’s approach is completely different from typical virtual therapy services.
Let’s dive deeper into what sets NOCD Therapy apart from nearly every other virtual therapy provider for the OCD community.
NOCD Therapists only use evidence-based forms of treatment
At NOCD, our therapists only use evidence-based treatments for OCD and related conditions. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy in particular is the leading method of treatment for OCD, and it’s backed by decades of peer-reviewed research. It is a specialized therapy that disrupts the OCD cycle of obsessions and compulsions by teaching people how to manage their symptoms and resist compulsions. In a typical therapy session, NOCD Therapists guide Members through personalized exercises that help them learn to overcome their fears and ultimately regain control of their lives from OCD.
ERP is the most effective therapy for OCD, with research revealing that 80% of people with OCD who do this treatment see a significant reduction in their symptoms. There’s also research that shows virtual ERP therapy can be just as effective, or even more so, than in-person therapy, with many people seeing an improvement in their symptoms within just 11 hours of virtual ERP therapy.
In addition to OCD, NOCD Therapists learn how to treat conditions that commonly occur along with OCD using ERP and other evidence-based methods of treatment. “We teach our therapists how to diagnose and assess anxiety, depression, BFRBs, and hoarding, since they’re the most common co-occurring conditions that impact the OCD community,” says Chris Novak, MS, LCPC, FACHE, Chief Network Operating Officer at NOCD.
We’re covered by major insurance plans
Just five years ago, it was virtually impossible to find specialized care for OCD that was covered by insurance. Now, over 2 out of 3 Americans with commercial insurance can use their benefits to receive evidence-based, specialized OCD treatment with NOCD Therapy.
We provide affordable options for OCD treatment and accept many major insurance plans, including United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, many Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, and more.
By partnering with major insurance providers, we’re able to reach more people who need help. “People in rural areas can now access treatment because you just need a Wi-Fi connection versus needing to drive to a major city,” Dr. McGrath explains. “ERP therapists also tend to be extremely expensive if you’re not using insurance, so the fact that we continue to accept more and more insurance plans opens the door for millions of people to get the treatment they need.”
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Every NOCD Therapist receives in-depth training
Before working with our Members, NOCD Therapists undergo a rigorous training process focused on OCD and ERP therapy.
Here’s an overview of our intensive four-month training process for new NOCD Therapists:
Intensive onboarding education
After completing a highly selective hiring process led by OCD experts, new therapists complete a two-week intensive training to gain a deep understanding of OCD and ERP. “We want to make sure that our therapists can use powerful evidence-based forms of treatment because we’re really focused on helping our Members get better, faster,” says Jennifer Dalimonte, MSW, LCSW, a Clinical Training Specialist at NOCD.
Months-long in-depth training
After the initial onboarding process, new NOCD Therapists are evaluated in a series of Clinical Advising Meetings (CAMs). Led by our Clinical Advising Team, CAMs are hands-on mock therapy sessions where therapists are evaluated on their mastery of every part of their training.
“The goal of these meetings is to ensure that the therapist has all the tools they need to serve our Members as well as possible,” says Daniel Kasper-MacMillan, MA, LCPC, a Clinical Training Specialist at NOCD. “We want to make sure that every therapist can give Members an in-depth understanding of OCD, create personalized treatment plans for every OCD subtype, work with people of all different ages and backgrounds, and help Members manage other conditions they’re living with, in addition to OCD.”
If a NOCD Therapist doesn’t pass their CAMs, they’re not able to work with Members, explains Patrick McGrath, PhD, NOCD’s Chief Clinical Officer. “If they don’t pass, they don’t make it. We part ways with anyone who doesn’t perform at the level that we need them to. This is such an important step to make sure we’re serving our Members as well as we possibly can.”
Continuous education and guidance
The continuous training for our NOCD Therapists doesn’t stop after they start working with Members, and we ensure that they receive continuing guidance and support from experts. “Training hones your skills—and that’s what we want to continuously help our therapists do,” says Dr. McGrath. “All of this support and training makes a big difference in our Members’ lives.”
NOCD Therapists are constantly given opportunities to expand their knowledge and expertise on OCD and OCD-related conditions. Our clinical leaders frequently invite world-renowned experts in OCD treatment to speak to our therapists about a variety of topics connected to OCD. “It’s all related to the work we do, so the clinical focus is always on serving the OCD community and the issues that impact our Members,” explains Taylor Newendorp, MA, LCPC, NOCD’s Clinical Network Training Director.
You’re never alone between therapy sessions
In a typical virtual therapy setting, you may only have a chance to speak with your therapist during the allotted time you spend with them in sessions. That means if you’re managing a chronic mental health condition like OCD, you can’t turn to your therapist for support when symptoms strike between sessions.
In addition to the therapy sessions NOCD Therapists hold with their Members, they also make themselves accessible in between sessions via direct messaging in the NOCD App. In the app, you can message your therapist directly and expect to hear from them within 24 hours. Members can also access always-on support from Member Advocates, peers who deeply understand OCD and are trained to support Members as they navigate their treatment journey.
There are also dozens of live support groups available every day of the week. Focused on topics ranging from relationship OCD to relapse prevention, these groups provide a safe space for people in the OCD community and their loved ones to receive guidance and support from others who truly understand what they’re going through.
We treat all forms of OCD effectively
Everyone’s experience with OCD is unique. As the largest provider of virtual OCD treatment, we want to ensure that we can help as many people in the highly diverse OCD community as possible.
That’s why, as part of our four-month intensive training program, we ensure that every NOCD Therapist is equipped to work with Members who experience any and all OCD subtypes—themes that obsessions and compulsions focus on, such as harm, pedophilia, contamination, or religious themes. They’re also trained to treat OCD across all ages—even as young as age 5. “Therapists get training on working more specifically with children and adolescents, as well as how to educate family members on OCD and ERP,” says Newendorp.
In order to help as many people as possible in the OCD community access affordable and effective treatment, we also ensure that NOCD Therapists are equipped to treat Members with especially severe OCD symptoms. In the past, people who needed the most support had the hardest time accessing care, burdened by high costs and a severe lack of effective options for severe symptoms.
With NOCD, millions of people with severe OCD anywhere in the US can get the level of support they need, and they can use their insurance to pay for it. Based on a comprehensive, holistic assessment of Members’ symptoms, we identify those who need more intensive treatment and match them with the therapist who best suits their needs. Then, they work together to develop a personalized treatment plan—even doing up to five sessions per week for Members who need the most support.
NOCD coordinates with medication providers for holistic care
NOCD Therapy Members often achieve life-changing results through ERP therapy alone, but for others, taking medication while they do ERP can give them the best chance at managing OCD. To ensure our Members always receive the very best evidence-based OCD treatment, we train external medication providers so they have a solid understanding of OCD.
“We have done intensive training for medication providers so that they understand how OCD works, as well as the types of medications that may be best to prescribe, versus the types that may not be the most effective,” says Dr. McGrath. “We want to collaborate with them to ultimately give every NOCD Therapy Member the best results possible.”
NOCD delivers life-changing virtual treatment to the OCD community
At NOCD, we want to ensure that our Members receive life-changing virtual therapy and support they wouldn’t typically receive at any other virtual therapy platform. From our in-depth therapist training to the powerful support tools in the NOCD App, we want our Members to feel heard and supported throughout their treatment journey and gain the confidence and skills they need to conquer OCD.
All of the things that set NOCD Therapy apart from other virtual therapy services can change our Members’ lives. Peer-reviewed research has shown that NOCD Therapy leads to significant treatment results twice as fast as typical ERP therapy.
If you have OCD and need help, book a free 15-minute call with our team to start your treatment journey.