OCD Treatment in Tampa, FL

OCD treatment at Karuna Behavioral Health in Tampa is built on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the approach most closely studied for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and every clinician on our team is trained in it. That work happens inside one ten-week intensive outpatient program for adults 18 and older, in person at our Sheldon Road office or by video from anywhere in Florida.

People usually reach us after years of managing intrusive thoughts and rituals alone, or after weekly therapy helped them understand OCD without loosening its grip. The program adds structure across the whole week, so the practice of resisting a compulsion happens often enough to start sticking.

ERP asks you to meet the thought or situation that sets off an obsession, in small, planned steps, and then not perform the ritual that usually follows. You and your therapist build a ladder together, starting with something that causes mild discomfort and moving up only when the step below it has become manageable. Over repeated practice, the brain learns that the anxiety rises, peaks and settles on its own, without the checking, washing or mental reviewing.

Nobody is pushed onto a step they have not agreed to. Exposures are planned in your individual session, practiced between meetings, and talked through in group, where other adults are doing the same kind of work. ERP sits alongside cognitive behavioral therapy for the thinking patterns that feed OCD, and, when an urge spikes faster than you can choose a response, DBT distress-tolerance skills.

OCD is often quieter than the stereotype. Many adults we meet are high-functioning at work and exhausted by what happens in their heads. According to the International OCD Foundation, about 1 in 40 adults have OCD or will develop it at some point. Patterns that commonly bring people in include:

• Checking locks, the stove, messages or emails again, even after you know it is done
• Asking partners or friends for reassurance, then needing to ask once more
• Avoiding places, people or objects that trigger an unwanted thought
• Silent rituals: counting, praying a set way, replaying a conversation to make sure nothing went wrong
• Perfectionism that turns a short task into hours of redoing
• Intrusive images or thoughts that feel completely at odds with who you are

OCD care at Karuna is not a separate product. It runs inside our intensive outpatient program in Tampa, which gives you a predictable week to practice in:

• Three days of group therapy per week, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, on a morning track (9:00am to 12:00pm) or an evening track (6:00pm to 9:00pm)
• one individual therapy session per week, where your exposure ladder is planned and adjusted
• Family sessions when it helps the people at home stop joining in on rituals or reassurance
• Symptom check-ins at intake, month 1, month 2 and discharge, so progress is measured rather than guessed

Ten weeks is a minimum commitment, not a cap. Groups are open, so you can join in any week and graduate when you are ready. If you already see a prescriber, we coordinate with them.

Karuna is clinician-owned and operated. The clinical program was built in-house by Dylan Hollander, co-owner and clinic director, who brings more than a decade in the field. The evening program is run by Stephanie Johnson, a master's-level clinician who facilitates evening groups, and Mia Martinez, a master's-level therapist who leads evening individual sessions. Every clinician on staff is proficient in ERP, so the approach stays consistent whichever track you choose. You can read more about the team on our About page.

The clinic is accredited by The Joint Commission and licensed by Florida AHCA as a Health Care Clinic (#14736), and both are listed on our accreditation and licensure page.

The full program can be done 100% by video, as a hybrid of video and in-person days, or fully in person in Tampa. ERP translates well to video because many exposures belong in the places where OCD shows up, such as your kitchen, your car or your desk. Groups mix in-person and video participants and are capped at 16. Details on joining from outside Tampa are on our Florida telehealth page.

• OCD Treatment in Tampa Bay: What It Actually Looks Like: the compulsions people rarely talk about and what effective care involves.
• What Anxiety Actually Feels Like, and When to Get Support: how anxiety affects thinking and behavior, and when to reach out.

Client Experiences

Our Tampa, FL Office Location