NOCD was built by people who truly understand OCD, from living with the condition to managing symptoms long-term, because we knew firsthand that the status quo was not working for the OCD community. OCD is a highly treatable condition, but a shortage of exposure and response prevention (ERP) specialists, a lack of insurance providers who covered ERP therapy, and high costs of treatment made effective, evidence-based OCD treatment inaccessible for most people suffering with the condition.
We also understand that in order to provide the best possible treatment experience for the OCD community, we needed to expand and support the community of therapists specializing in OCD—we needed to change the status quo for OCD treatment as a whole. Here’s what that means for our NOCD Therapists.
Beyond the private practice status quo
We believe that those in the caring professions deserve a better long-term career trajectory. We know what it takes to be a therapist for life, because NOCD Therapy was created with and for clinicians who have chosen to dedicate their careers to providing specialized therapy to people with OCD. Many of us worked in other care settings, where we saw patient after patient—some got better, and some didn’t—but day after day, week after week, and year after year, things remained much the same.
Building the future takes an entrepreneurial mindset. We knew that we were a group of motivated clinicians and professionals who wanted to see change happen in our practices and with our individual members. We knew that an evidence-based, outcomes-driven approach was the way to provide the best possible care for people with OCD, as well as give us meaningful satisfaction in our day-to-day work as clinicians. We wanted a place where, by sharing our wealth of experience as clinicians and teaching one another, our patients got the best care that anyone could offer. A place where every single therapist was building something different from the status quo.
Clinical community
As a NOCD Therapist, you’re part of a specialty community, doing the work you love while benefiting from a community of your peers, expert leadership from people who built some of the world’s leading OCD treatment programs, technology and services to support your practice, and in-house marketing to attract the patients who need your help.
One key way that NOCD is different by design is that our therapists are part of a clinical support system, enriching one another and benefiting from expert leadership support. Far removed from the model of sole proprietorship, every NOCD Therapist joins a cohort of onboarding therapists when they join the NOCD Therapy network—usually a group of 6-12 newcomers. They remain with this small group throughout the first 12 weeks of their employee journey, providing a safe space to ask questions, learn how to provide ERP treatment, and share knowledge and experience.
As new therapists get to know each other, they are also introduced to NOCD’s extensive clinical leadership support system. The keystone of this system is the Clinical Advising Meetings, in which new NOCD Therapists are taught the intricacies of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. They learn how to provide effective OCD treatment to patients of all ages and OCD subtypes. Once a newly onboarded therapist begins live video sessions with NOCD Therapy members, they also have the opportunity to join Clinical Supervision meetings to support their practice and enhance their skills in treating different presentations and subtypes of OCD. This is a great way to talk through challenging cases amongst colleagues.
While our clinicians are the lifeblood of NOCD, we also have a caring, collaborative culture that connects every department in the organization. The NOCD Therapy team is supported by an in-house product design and development team, a Care Team that fields initial intake calls with prospective members, a marketing team that shares our therapists’ expertise with people who need help with OCD, and Member Advocates who have been through NOCD Therapy themselves and who support members throughout their treatment journey. These teams regularly engage with therapists to brainstorm ideas, gather feedback to make improvements, participate in a full-team trivia hour, share personal passions, or work together on a special project.
Emergent, exploratory, entrepreneurial career pathways
NOCD Therapists and the care they provide for members are the heart and soul of the company. For many of our therapists, working directly with Members to help them overcome OCD remains their primary responsibility throughout their career at NOCD. Within this role, there are opportunities for advancement and increased compensation via an established bonus structure which highlights clinical outcomes, member retention, and member experience. In any career path with NOCD, clinicians continue to see members in addition to other responsibilities.
NOCD then breaks the mold of typical provider groups, which offer only limited ways for therapists to grow. Our network is a great place for clinicians who want to advance in their careers while exploring other career and business interests. As NOCD continues to experience significant growth, it’s a great place for clinicians who wish to step into new and exciting opportunities. The entrepreneurial spirit we see in many of our therapists is a combination of their close alignment with our mission and their innate curiosity and innovation.
A mission that’s driven by values
Across all our teams, NOCD shares a common mission: To restore hope for people with OCD through better awareness and treatment and a vision to create a world where anyone can access effective OCD therapy, no matter where they live or how much money they make.
For some therapists, once they get into a rhythm of practicing ERP—an incredibly effective, evidence-based treatment modality—they find meaning in seeing as many members as possible get better. The deep expertise gained by crafting treatment experiences is meaningful and enriching, especially when members often accomplish meaningful results in as little as 12 weeks. These therapists grow by mastering their craft and expanding the scope of their treatment expertise, either through leveraging NOCD’s cross-licensing support or NOCD’s continuing education to access specialty training to treat related conditions such as tic disorders and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs).
Other therapists actively seek opportunities to expand their role, while also actively continuing to work with members. We’d like to highlight just a few stories of NOCD Therapists who have been with us for years, whose roles have advanced and evolved over time. Seeing members, sharing their own stories, forming groups based on shared passions and identities, and creating content to reach wide audiences are just a few of the avenues taken by NOCD Therapists to flourish in their careers.
Stacy: Before coming to NOCD, my career was going in a good direction, but I was overwhelmed with stress and I was burnt out—what I needed was to feel passionate about my work again.
Having struggled with OCD for my whole life, I joined NOCD. From the very start, it just felt right. I asked so many questions and learned that I would have opportunities to pursue other creative avenues in addition to working with therapy members. These days, I primarily write healthcare content for NOCD, while still working with members to overcome OCD. It’s truly the perfect fit.
Nicole: With earlier career experience in IT work, I have always been energized by process improvement. I started as a full-time therapist at NOCD before seeking out the opportunity to work as an intermediary with our development team. They seemed so excited to work with me, which was extremely motivating.
Now, I actually work in 3 different roles that allow me to engage all my strengths: Clinician, Clinical IT Lead, and Program Manager of the Associate program. I get to lead process improvements, enjoy the camaraderie of the dev team, and work with therapy members!
Josh: I have always been a problem solver, and I enjoy finding the best ways to overcome challenges—I took the opportunity to become the Director of Clinical Operations (DCO) at NOCD so I could use my full skillset to serve the OCD community as well as possible.
Transitioning into the DCO role allowed me to use both my clinical experience and my analytical problem-solving skills. While I will always see myself as a therapist first, I love to break up my time with various projects.
Our new associate therapist program
We also recognize the importance of investing in the next generation of therapists who are interested in treating OCD, and we’re opening new avenues for us to extend our commitment to the clinical community even further. That’s why NOCD now offers an Associates program for pre-independently licensed providers to help advance their careers and grow the next generation of behavioral healthcare professionals with specialty training in ERP.
Providing these opportunities allows us to pursue our mission far into the future and boosts the growth trajectory of our therapists, who can now begin their career with specialty training from leading experts before they’re independently licensed. Through extensive training, individual and group supervision, NOCD Associates learn from and practice with top experts and talents in the OCD clinical community, all while gaining the necessary hours to obtain their licenses. Once licensed, you have the opportunity to continue your career with NOCD and continue to serve our members.
Pursue career opportunities with NOCD
If you’re a therapist who is interested in changing the status quo of behavioral healthcare, developing your career in collaboration with renowned experts, and pursuing creative opportunities that make an impact, we would love to hear from you. You can learn more about positions that are currently open and begin your application using our Careers page.