Treatment at the Intersection of Compassion and Innovation
We are here when you need us most. Our unique approach to anxiety and OCD treatment will help set you on the path to recovery. Let us show you why you should choose McLean OCDI Houston.
At McLean OCDI Houston, we are dedicated to providing the best possible care to set you or your loved one on the path to recovery. Our expert clinicians and support staff are specially trained in the care of people struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, and related disorders.
Each of our programs uses proven treatment methods based in scientific research. Our evidence-based treatment protocols are effective in treating severe OCD, obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders (such as social anxiety, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder), and other coexisting conditions.
As we help patients achieve maximum benefit from our care, we adhere to the following principles:
- We use state-of-the-art evidence-based cognitive-behavioral and medication treatment modalities
- We encourage normalization by patient participation in decision-making about treatment and by providing treatment in a caring environment
- We design and provide services in a way that supports, educates, and empowers the patient
- We attend to the individual’s physical, emotional, social, and economical problems
- We are dedicated to the long-term goal of establishing healthy functioning for individuals and their families
Call us today at 877.488.2467 to talk to our admission specialists.
Disorders That We Treat
We offer psychotherapy for a broad range of psychological disorders including:
OCD and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- OCD, all subtypes and severity levels
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
- Excoriation disorder/compulsive skin picking
- Illness anxiety disorder, health anxiety, hypochondriasis
- Tourette syndrome
- Trichotillomania
Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Social anxiety
- Specific phobias (e.g., fear of driving, medical phobias, fear of vomiting, storm-related, animals)
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Separation anxiety
Depression and Other Disorders
- Adjustment disorder
- Depression
- Interpersonal and relationship issues
McLean OCDI Houston is accredited by The Joint Commission
Find the Care You Need
Core Treatment Program
The McLean OCDI Houston clinical team works with each patient to design an individualized treatment plan to target the issues impacting the patient’s life. Treatment planning focuses on symptom reduction and prevention. Discharge planning begins upon admission to assure community reintegration, as well as planning for future treatment to address long-term needs.
Reliable measures of progress are used throughout the course of care to inform decisions about treatment levels and discharge as well as for program evaluation.
Our primary treatment methods focus on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), with an emphasis on exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy.
CBT examines the interconnections of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches us that challenging our irrational beliefs can greatly impact our feelings and behaviors.
ERP, a specific form of CBT, focuses on helping individuals learn that if they face their anxiety-provoking thoughts, feelings, and situations in a gradual and systematic way, they will feel less anxious over time. Through ERP, people learn that they do not have to engage in their compulsions, which helps decrease the frequency and intensity of their intrusive thoughts.
Assessment
Within two weeks of admission, the clinical team completes a diagnostic assessment. The team utilizes observations, specific interventions, patient and family history, parent and patient reports, psychological testing, and past treatment records to formulate the diagnostic assessment.
Given the complex presentation of severe OCD and anxiety disorders, a careful and thorough assessment is crucial for future treatment to be effective. These findings build the foundation of treatment and are shared with the patient and, when appropriate, with loved ones involved in the patient’s care.
Behavior Treatment Plans
Individualized treatment plans, or behavior treatment plans, are mutually developed and agreed upon between the patient and their behavior therapist.
The behavior treatment plan outlines core fears, specific obsessions, compulsions, avoidances, goals, and specific interventions. The treatment plan includes information about how to assist the patient through their daily living activities with minimal rituals and, most importantly, how to implement staff-assisted and self-directed exposure and response prevention sessions.
The behavior treatment plan represents a collaborative endeavor, as patients are active in designing and implementing the plan. These plans are re-evaluated on a weekly basis to ensure continued effectiveness.
Who’s Who on Your Care Team
A treatment team is assembled for each patient, including a behavior therapist, a psychiatrist (when needed), and a family therapist. Residential counselors also work with patients in our residential program.
- The behavior therapist provides initial assessments and evaluations and designs the customized treatment plan with the patient. They also conduct individual behavior therapy sessions with the patient.
- The psychiatrist meets with all partial hospital and residential patients. Outpatient psychiatric appointments are coordinated as needed. Past medications are reviewed and assessed for adequacy, and when appropriate, alternative regimens are implemented.
- The family therapist meets with each patient and their family (if desired). Sessions can take place in the office or via teletherapy.
- Residential counselors aid in treatment by helping residential and partial hospital patients follow their individual behavior plan. Counselors are trained to balance compassionate care while implementing response prevention.
Involvement of other specialists (e.g., dieticians, chemical dependency counselors, specialty consultations, etc.) varies in time and intensity based on the patient’s clinical status and intensity of care.
For those in our residential treatment program, the direct delivery of residential care, 24-hours a day, seven days a week is provided by a team of one to three residential counselors. The staff is trained to help patients enhance response prevention by blocking their rituals (or pertinent anxiety reducing behaviors) and assisting in “ritual free” activities of daily living. Residential counselors implement behavior therapy techniques through the provision of support and coaching to utilize effective coping skills, reduce isolation, and encourage social interaction.
Meet the Treatment Team
Meet McLean OCDI Houston director, Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale, and our team of compassionate experts who are ready to help you manage your OCD or anxiety.
Delivery of Care
Our home-like setting fosters an atmosphere for change, while maintaining a safe and comfortable environment where patients and staff work collaboratively toward treatment goals. The staff is attentive to the unique challenges that OCD and anxiety symptoms have on patients and their families.
What you can expect during our partial hospital and residential treatment programs:
- The behavior therapist conducts individual behavior therapy sessions
- Residential counselors assist the patients in following their tailored treatment plans, especially aiding in implementing challenging exposure and response prevention sessions
- Daily group therapy, utilizing a variety of primary and supplemental treatment approaches, is incorporated into the treatment day
- Patients and staff participate in a group forum community meeting to discuss weekly activities and any concerns
The cornerstone of the treatment program is daily exposure and response prevention (ERP) sessions and daily self-directed ERP sessions. ERP sessions are initially completed with staff assistance, while gradually increasing the patient’s ability to independently complete the exposures during ERP sessions.
All additional therapeutic groups are designed to complement the evidence-based ERP sessions, working to build on the patient’s skill sets and resilience and foster support from peers.
Family Education and Support
Throughout treatment, staff members provide education about OCD and anxiety and the impact they have on family relationships. Our family therapist coaches family members on how to work with loved ones, without providing accommodations. We work with family members to minimize any enabling behaviors to boost their loved one’s recovery from symptoms.
It is especially important for patients who live at home to include family in the treatment. In our partial hospital, residential, and intensive outpatient programs, family sessions occur once weekly and additionally as needed, either at our office or via teletherapy. Family therapy is incorporated into outpatient care when indicated.
Discharge Planning
Discharge and aftercare planning are an ongoing process, which begins at the onset of treatment.
As patients in our residential program near completion of treatment, therapeutic passes from the program to the home are often scheduled to promote the application of CBT skills, and to facilitate ways to challenge the OCD and anxiety triggers in their home environment.
Every effort is made to find an experienced cognitive-behavioral therapist in one’s community at the time of discharge in an effort to ensure future success.
We Are Here To Help
Need more information about treatment options? Contact our admissions specialists today at 877.488.2467.