What Is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)? A Guide for Adults and Parents Looking for OCD Treatment

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is considered the gold-standard, first-line treatment for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Research has demonstrated that ERP can be highly effective for both adults and children, making it the leading therapy recommended by OCD experts and organizations such as the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF).

Whether you are an adult struggling with intrusive thoughts and compulsions, or a parent searching for OCD treatment for your child, ERP can help break the cycle of OCD and reclaim daily life.

How ERP Therapy Works

1. Understanding the OCD Cycle

ERP begins with psychoeducation—learning how OCD works and why the symptoms persist.
Many people with OCD often feel trapped because compulsions temporarily relieve anxiety but ultimately reinforce the OCD cycle.

By understanding this loop, adults and children alike are better prepared to interrupt it.

2. Creating a Personalized Fear Hierarchy

You and your psychologist at RFP  will work together to build a fear hierarchy, a step-by-step plan that outlines situations that trigger obsessions.

This plan helps:

• Adults address triggers that affect work, relationships, and daily routines
  
  Children confront fears in ways that feel safe, supported, and developmentally appropriate

3. Exposure & Response Prevention: Facing Fears Gradually

With guidance, you will begin exposures, intentionally approaching situations that activate OCD thoughts or discomfort and NOT engaging in compulsive behaviors.

Examples might include:

• Touching “contaminated” items without washing

• Reducing or eliminating reassurance seeking

• Writing or saying feared words

• Allowing uncertainty instead of trying to “figure out” intrusive thoughts

For children, exposures are adjusted to fit their age, emotional development, and home environment. Parents are also heavily involved throughout treatment as coaches for their children. Therapists also work with parents to reduce “accommodating behaviors” (i.e., actions that unintentionally keep children stuck in OCD cycles).

4. Response Prevention: Not Doing the Compulsion

The second part of ERP—Response Prevention—is where real change happens.
You practice not performing compulsions such as:

• Checking

• Repeating

• Reassurance seeking

• Mental reviewing

• Avoidance behaviors

Your psychologist will also help you develop non-engagement strategies (i.e., ways to think and act that weaken the cycle of OCD) to help you resist rituals and tolerate uncertainty.

5. Homework to Support Steady Progress

Between sessions, you’ll repeat exposure exercises so your brain learns:

• Anxiety naturally decreases with time

• OCD thoughts do not require action

• You are capable of tolerating discomfort and uncertainty

Children and teens practice ERP at home with support from parents, while adults integrate exercises into their own routines, sometimes with the assistance of their loved ones. Your psychologist will help you monitor progress to create and stick to an individualized plan to make progress at your own unique pace.

Over time, exposures that once felt overwhelming become boring—a sign that your brain is learning and healing!

Why ERP Is Effective for OCD

ERP teaches your brain that:

• Anxiety does not last forever

• You do not need compulsions to feel safe

• Your OCD thoughts are not accurate predictors of danger

For adults, this leads to more confidence and freedom in daily life. For children, ERP provides lifelong tools to manage anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

Get OCD Treatment in Richmond, VA

If you or your child are struggling with OCD, ERP can make a significant difference. I provide individual therapy for adults and OCD treatment for children and teens using developmentally appropriate ERP techniques. I always meet my clients where they are and help them find a pace of treatment that is right for them so they can build confidence and reduce the burden of OCD in their daily lives.

For questions or to schedule an appointment, please contact:

Dr. Jennifer Herbst

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
📧 JHerbst@richmondfamilypsychology.com
📞 804-214-6416
🌐 Richmond Family Psychology

I specialize in the treatment of OCD and provide compassionate, evidence-based care.