Dr. Nina Eberly

LCSW

The first session is really just a conversation. My goal is to help you feel at ease and understand what's been going on — I'll ask about what brought you in, when things started, what's been most distressing, and what you've already tried. If OCD or anxiety is part of the picture, I'll explain how ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) works and how it differs from the "talk it out" approach that often backfires with intrusive thoughts. By the end, you'll leave with a clearer sense of what treatment will look like and a concrete plan for next steps. You don't need to have everything figured out or know exactly what to say — that's my job.

My primary approach is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment for OCD. I trained intensively in ERP at Rogers Behavioral Health, one of the top OCD treatment centers in the country. For OCD and related conditions, ERP means gradually and systematically facing the thoughts, images, or situations that trigger anxiety — without the compulsions, rituals, or reassurance-seeking that normally follow — so your brain learns it can tolerate discomfort. For body-focused repetitive behaviors (hair pulling, skin picking), I use Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics/BFRBs (CBIT/HRT). For BDD I integrate ERP with CBT, and I pull from ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and self-compassion work when it helps. Everything is tailored to you, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.

I have a PhD and an MSW, and I completed intensive Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) training at Rogers Behavioral Health — one of the premier OCD and anxiety treatment programs in the country. That experience fundamentally shaped how I work: I don't do generic "talk therapy" for OCD, because research and my clinical experience both show it usually doesn't help and can actually reinforce the cycle. I specialize in OCD (including perinatal OCD, harm OCD, scrupulosity, relationship OCD, and contamination OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), body-focused repetitive behaviors like trichotillomania and skin picking, and tic disorders. I'm licensed in Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Florida and practice entirely via telehealth, which makes it possible for me to work with clients who live far from a specialized OCD clinic.