Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) Therapists in San Francisco, CA

Intrusive thoughts, images, or fears popping into your head? Are you feeling anxious and out of control? Are you feeling a sense of urgency and need to check or ask same questions or go over things in your mind until you get an absolute answer but you never do? You may be dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As an OCD specialist who has OCD I want to help you learn what OCD is, how it works, and how to overcome it.

I enjoy working with an array of different types of individuals. Some of the people I work with are looking to gain tangible skills to overcome particular challenges in their lives, such as social anxiety, phobias, and OCD . Others seek out therapy with me because they are navigating life transitions, experiencing relationship difficulties, or looking to better understand themselves. My hope would be that throughout the course of therapy, their goals might evolve as they experience some relief from their symptoms and would shift to exploring their own values, identity, and spirituality.

I specialize in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults with OCD , anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety, panic, and phobias), depression, bipolar, bulimia, and trichotillomania. I have advanced training in CBT and exposure/response prevention for OCD & anxiety disorders, and expertise in habit reversal training for trich/compulsive skin-picking. I also treat hoarding and am able to do home visits, as needed, for those with hoarding and other anxiety disorders that need more exposure practice. In addition, I have an interest in health psychology and enjoy working with people on issues like weight management, smoking cessation, and coping with medical problems.

I describe myself as passionate, open, caring and engaged. I have worked for many years with teens, parents, families, and individuals experiencing anxiety and depressive disorders, including Major Depressive Disorder, OCD , and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I am committed to helping each client meet their goals, including working with all other care providers involved. I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and have an extensive background in mindfulness. I meet each client where they are at, and collaborate with the client to show up for life in a way that is consistent with their values.

In our work together, my intention is to help you break away from the maladaptive thought patterns, emotions, actions, and external circumstances that keep you stuck in an unwanted experience. My goal is to help you create progress towards the life you do want for yourself. I’ll want to understand the changes you’d like to see in yourself. With this in mind, I’ll want to identify the behaviors you’d like to demonstrate, the lasting emotions you’d like to feel, and the outcomes you’d like to see present themselves in your life. With that information, we'll set the overall goals for therapy. Now providing Psychedelic Assisted Therapy.

Marisa T. Mazza, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist. She enjoys helping people learn new ways of interacting with thoughts and feelings so they can live meaningful lives. Her approach allows individuals to face their fears in a gradual and gentle way.

Psychotherapy has the ability to significantly improve your mental well being, treat mental illnesses and boost your overall social and psychological functionality. During therapy, we will explore life's challenges, thought patterns and behaviors that are hindering your well being within a very safe, supportive, and non-critical environment. The search for the right therapist can take time and courage. It's important that you find the right match. Let me share with you about my practice and see if I can be of help to you.

During this challenging time it is normal to be experiencing some anxiety, nervousness or restlessness. Being home and having major changes in routines can be disorienting for many and trigger impairing mental health conditions. I am offering Telehealth sessions to support people in maintaining mental, emotional and physical health. I provide evidence-based therapeutic approaches that are holistic and multiculturally sensitive.

I am a licensed psychologist specializing in the treatment of anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, sleep difficulties, and body-focused repetitive behaviors such as hair-pulling and skin-picking. I provide treatment approaches that have been supported by research, while tailoring treatment to the unique needs of each client. I believe that therapy works best when it is a collaborative partnership between the client and the therapist, and I work with my clients to clarify their goals and develop an individualized treatment plan.

One of the things that I believe to be a key component to successful therapy is trust in the client-therapist relationship. I do my best to create a warm and inviting space for you where we could talk about the difficult things. It’s important that you feel honored in this process, so if something isn’t quite working out, let’s talk about it. Our work is a collaboration. Therapy can be hard, but things don’t always have to be heavy in the therapy room. If you appreciate humor, I definitely use it (when appropriate) and you might laugh in sessions.

Do your worries or thoughts feel overwhelming? Do your compulsive behaviors feel out of your control? Now imagine that you can experience your thoughts and feelings without getting stuck trying to block them, change them, or act on them. Imagine being able to spend time with the people you love and accomplishing your goals. If you are ready to live your life joyfully, let's talk.

I treat obsessive -compulsive disorders ( OCD , BDD, BFRBs, illness anxiety disorder), misophonia, and anxiety. I also have obsessive -compulsive disorders and misophonia myself, and greatly benefited from the same treatments I now provide for others. I love seeing my clients experience significant symptom relief and free up their time and energy for the activities they care about most.

I obtained my Doctorate/Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Family Psychology, from APA-accredited Palo Alto University, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. My Postdoctoral Residency was completed at the Psychiatry Department in Kaiser Permanente, San Rafael. I hold a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. I have worked in a variety of clinical settings with children, adolescents and adults providing individual, family, group, and couples therapy. I provide evidence based treatment from a strengths based perspective and have specialty training in CBT and DBT.

I work with adults and adolescents on a range of issues including anxiety, substance abuse, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ( OCD ), and grief. I take a pragmatic approach to therapy and work collaboratively with clients to help them identify the sources of their distress and how to overcome them. I help clients recognize thought patterns that may not be serving them well and teach them to incorporate more effective ways of thinking in their lives. I use a range of techniques including mindfulness, acceptance, and a focus on values.

Are you dealing with unwanted OCD thoughts or rituals? Avoiding places, objects, movements, people, words, colors, that you're afraid will trigger anxiety or thoughts? Thinking about the same things over and over with no resolution? Are you lost? Lonely? Grieving? Acting or thinking in ways you don't understand? Looking for something more in your life? Not knowing what the next step is? Wanting to make big, positive changes (or even small ones) and don't know how? Just moved here? I love helping people explore their lives and themselves! Let's find out what's next, what's inside, what you want and who you are!

I have specialized in the treatment of fear and anxiety for over 20 years. My expertise is in integrating a compassionate and pragmatic approach with empirically-supported therapies, such as CBT, ACT, and exposure therapy, to help individuals overcome life's obstacles and live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. I frequently work with individuals struggling with stress, panic disorder/agoraphobia, chronic worry, social anxiety, and phobias. I also have a specific expertise in the treatment of OCD and related disorders and am very passionate about helping people suffering with intrusive and bothersome obsessive thoughts.

I have specialized in working with Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders since the 1990's and have worked with hundreds of patients, trained more professionals than anyone else to date in the US, and published a variety of books on optimal OCD treatment (including the OCD Meditation Book; Amazon.com). As a genetically-determined brain disorder it is difficult to make progress working on OCD alone or without a consistent strategy. Having OCD myself I will be able to quickly understand the way your OCD works and develop a specially tailored plan to get your brain working better.