Virtual Therapy across New York & New Jersey.
Therapy for OCD in NYC
Your thoughts don’t have to dictate your choices.
Let’s focus on what matters to you.
You’re exhausted from trying to get certainty about everything.
Maybe you're stuck in cycles of intrusive thoughts, reassurance-seeking, mental checking, or repeated behaviors that temporarily make you feel better, but the doubt always comes back.
OCD isn't simply “overthinking.” Intrusive thoughts and images can feel deeply disturbing, especially when they focus on relationships, identity, morality, health, safety, or the possibility of something terrible happening.
What if a thought could just be a thought?
Therapy for OCD can help you understand the cycle and develop healthier ways of responding to intrusive thoughts, urges, and uncertainty. You don’t have to solve every thought before you can move forward.
OCD can look different for everyone. You might experience unwanted thoughts, intrusive images, behavioral rituals, or mental checking that other people don’t see.
You might benefit from therapy for OCD if…
You know your thoughts aren't always realistic, but you can't seem to disregard them
You repeatedly check, analyze, research, or seek reassurance
You feel responsible for preventing something bad from happening
You avoid situations because they trigger uncomfortable thoughts or feelings
You have difficulty making decisions because you worry about making the “wrong” one
Working together, we’ll gain a deeper understanding of the OCD cycle and gradually shift how you respond to intrusive thoughts and uncomfortable uncertainty, so you can spend less time seeking reassurance and more time living your life.
Start Therapy for OCD in NYC today!
What if you could go from…
Getting stuck analyzing every thought → Letting thoughts come and go without needing to figure them out
Searching for reassurance → Building confidence in your ability to handle doubt
Avoiding potential triggers → Feeling more capable of facing discomfort without letting it dictate your choices
Feeling controlled by intrusive thoughts → Recognizing that a thought doesn’t define you or mean you have to act on it
Spending hours trying to feel “just right” → Having more time and energy for what matters to you
Let’s replace “How can I know for sure?” with: “I can move forward without certainty.”
What therapy for OCD might look like…
Therapy for OCD isn’t about proving your fears wrong or finding the perfect answer to every doubt. We’ll work together to understand your OCD patterns and gradually change the way you respond to intrusive thoughts, urges, and uncertainty.
We’ll spend time getting to know you, your experiences, and what you’d like your life to look like. Depending on your needs, we’ll develop goals to guide our work together.
Each session, you’re invited to come as you are. We’ll move at a pace that feels challenging but manageable…
We can identify your personal OCD cycle, including the intrusive thoughts, images, and urges that you experience and the accompanying compulsive behaviors, reassurance-seeking, checking, or avoidance that keep you feeling stuck.
We might use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you notice intrusive thoughts and uncomfortable sensations without getting pulled into analyzing, avoiding, or solving them. We’ll practice making room for uncertainty while choosing actions based on what matters to you.
We might use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to gradually face situations, thoughts, or sensations that trigger your OCD without relying on compulsions, checking, or reassurance to make the discomfort go away. Together, we’ll build your confidence that you can handle uncertainty and discomfort without needing to perform the ritual.
We’ll connect the work to your actual life, whether OCD is affecting your relationships, work, life decisions, sense of identity, or ability to be present.
The goal isn’t to make sure you never experience anxiety or intrusive thoughts again. It’s to help you feel less controlled by them and feel more alignment in how you live.
Meet Your NYC
OCD Therapist
Julie Koven, Ph.D.
Hi! I’m Julie, a licensed psychologist specializing in anxiety, OCD, trauma, and relationships. I have 10+ years of experience working with adults who feel exhausted by intrusive thoughts, overthinking, compulsive behaviors, and the constant search for certainty.
My approach is collaborative, trauma-informed, and evidence-based. We’ll work to understand both the patterns that keep you stuck and the practical skills that can help you respond differently.
Therapy isn't about judging your thoughts or deciding what they mean about you. Together, we'll work on changing the patterns that keep you stuck so you can spend less time managing OCD and more time living your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition involving obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress. Compulsions are behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce that distress or prevent a feared outcome.
OCD can take many forms and doesn't always involve visible rituals. Mental reviewing, reassurance-seeking, researching, checking, avoidance, and trying to achieve certainty can all become part of the OCD cycle.
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No. You don’t need a prior OCD diagnosis to get started. If you’re experiencing intrusive thoughts, compulsions, checking, reassurance-seeking, rumination, or other symptoms that make you wonder whether you have OCD, we can explore that together.
As part of the initial assessment, I’ll learn more about what you’re experiencing, how it affects your life, and whether your symptoms fit the criteria for OCD. We can also consider whether something else may better explain what you’re experiencing. If OCD is an appropriate diagnosis, we can use that understanding to guide treatment.
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Yes. Not all compulsions are visible to other people. OCD can involve mental compulsions, such as repeatedly analyzing a thought, replaying conversations, checking how you feel, comparing possibilities, seeking reassurance, researching, or mentally reviewing whether you did something “right.”
This is referred to as “Pure O,” or purely obsessional OCD, but the term can be misleading. People with Pure O do have compulsions, but they’re often happening internally rather than through visible behaviors.
If you’re spending a lot of time trying to get certainty, make an uncomfortable thought feel resolved, or figure out what a thought or feeling “means,” these mental compulsions can keep the OCD cycle going even when other people don’t see what’s happening.
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My rate for a 50-minute therapy session is $225. I dedicate a portion of my caseload to sliding scale spots to make therapy more accessible to clients. If cost is a barrier, please inquire about my sliding scale option.
I am in-network with Aetna. For other insurance plans, I am considered to be an out-of-network mental health provider.
I am happy to provide monthly superbills for you to submit to insurance. I recommend checking with your insurance about your out-of-network mental health benefits as many of my clients are able to get reimbursement from their insurance.
Why you might consider working with an out-of-network therapist:
No limitations on sessions. We can meet without worrying about insurance cutting off the length, frequency, or duration of therapy.
It helps me keep your information confidential. No need to submit your diagnosis or notes to insurance for treatment.
Therapy is personal! It should be individualized and flexible to your needs and should not be dictated by insurance.
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The first step is scheduling a free 15-20 minute consultation call by clicking HERE! During our call, we’ll talk about what you’re looking for, answer any questions you have, and then find a time to meet for weekly sessions.
You can also call/text 929-489-1160 or send me an email at juliekovenphd@gmail.com
Need something else?
Additional Therapy Services
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THERAPY FOR ANXIETY
Constantly overthinking? Stuck in patterns of people pleasing, conflict avoidance, or self-criticism? In therapy, we’ll explore the “why” and bolster skills to manage the negative thoughts and uncomfortable sensations that come with anxiety.
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THERAPY FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA
Whether you’ve experienced sexual trauma in childhood or recent years, you might notice the impact on your relationships, in your body, or how you feel about yourself. Together, we’ll work to build safety, make meaning of your experiences, and reconnect with healthy supports.
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LGBTQ+ AFFIRMING THERAPY
Looking for a therapist who gets queerness without making it “the issue”? Together, we can explore sexual and/or gender identity, navigate the unique challenges of being queer in a heteronormative society, and build confidence in living authentically.
No default scripts.
Not trauma-driven choices.
Something intentional.
Start your therapy journey today.
Contact information:
Email juliekovenphd@gmail.com
Call or text 929.489.1160
healing is possible. learn to trust yourself again.
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healing is possible. learn to trust yourself again. —