Contamination OCD Therapy Near Me | Online & In-Person in California

If you find yourself consumed by fears of germs, illness, or contamination, despite repeated cleaning or checking, you may be experiencing Contamination OCD.

I offer evidence-based CBT and ERP therapy for Contamination OCD, available in-person near San Jose or online throughout California.

Open hands symbolizing the anxiety and vulnerability of contamination OCD – therapy support available near San Jose, CA

Person with hands folded representing contamination ocd

What is Contamination OCD?

Contamination OCD is characterized by intrusive fears of being contaminated, dirty, or being responsible for harm due to uncleanliness.

Common obsessions may include:

What if I spread germs and someone gets sick?
What if there is something contaminated on this surface and I don't realize it?
What if I inhale mold, asbestos, or something invisible that harms me?
What if someone else’s bad energy or negative thoughts transfer to me?
What if I didn’t wash my hands long enough and it wasn’t “complete”?

To neutralize these fears, you may engage in compulsions such as:

Excessive handwashing, showering, or cleaning
Avoiding places, people, or objects seen as “dirty”
Changing clothes frequently or throwing away “contaminated” items
Mentally reviewing whether you could have touched something contaminated

These compulsions may relieve anxiety in the short term but ultimately perpetuate the cycle of OCD leading to more obsessions about contamination and feeling less certain.

1. Spend Hours Per Day on Cleaning Rituals

Time consuming and repetitive hand washing, showering and cleaning rituals to feel "safe or "pure"

2. Avoid Certain Places or People

You may steer clear of public restrooms, touching doorknobs or physical contact with others

3. Overwhelming Thoughts About Germs & Contaminants

Constant worries about germs and contaminants in your environment to the point where you find it difficult to relax, always monitoring the world around you and feeling consumed with washing and cleaning routines

4. Repetitive Checking and Reassurance-Seeking

Repeatedly check if you have touched something “contaminated” or ask others for reassurance about whether you have been exposed to harmful substances

5. Fear of Contaminating Others

Some people with contamination OCD have a heightened fear that they might unknowingly contaminate others, leading them to excessively clean shared spaces or avoid interaction with family and friends altogether You may avoid relationships or intimacy due to fear of spreading or receiving “contamination”

Woman sitting on window sill depicting impact of contamination ocd

How Contamination OCD Affects Your Life

therapy office depicting erp for contamination ocd

My Approach to Contamination OCD

As a therapist who specializes in OCD and anxiety, I know how overwhelming Contamination OCD can feel—and how misunderstood it often is. My approach is structured and evidence-based, but also compassionate and collaborative. I’ll help you build confidence in facing fears, reduce your need for rituals, and create meaningful changes at a pace that feels manageable.

Whether your fears are rooted in germs, illness, morality, or general “unclean” feelings, we’ll work together to regain freedom and peace of mind.

Treatment for Contamination OCD

Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) is widely recognized as the gold standard in treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In ERP, we will change the way you respond to your thoughts. You will learn not to take intrusive thoughts literally and stop feeling like you have to do what OCD wants you to do. We will test your fears by going towards situations that you have been avoiding and reducing the behaviors that reinforce the cycle.

Here’s why ERP is highly effective:

Face Your Fears: ERP directly challenges OCD symptoms by facing your feared situations or triggers and learning that anxiety decreases naturally over time without engaging in rituals. It may seem counterintuitive but avoiding your triggers is actually increasing your anxiety and making OCD worse!
Change What You Do: ERP focuses on changing behaviors rather than thoughts or beliefs. By breaking the cycle of compulsions, you will experience reduced anxiety and gain greater control over you OCD symptoms.
Build Your Confidence: ERP is conducted in a structured manner, starting with less distressing exposures and progressing to more challenging ones. ERP always goes at your pace! This gradual approach ensures you are learning to tolerate anxiety while resisting compulsions.

Learn more about ERP

Inference-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (I-CBT) is a relatively newer approach that addresses OCD symptoms by targeting the cognitive processes underlying obsessions and doubts. I-CBT is considered evidence-based for treating OCD.

Cognitive Focus: IBT focuses on challenging and modifying the cognitive interpretations and inferences that drive OCD symptoms. It aims to change how you perceive and interpret your thoughts rather than directly targeting behaviors.
Normal Versus Obsessional Doubts: IBT helps you recognize how doubts in OCD are different from normal doubts. When you see the thoughts differently they are not as threatening and you won't need to do compulsions.
Collaborative: IBT involves collaborative exploration between the therapist and the client to understand the underlying cognitive processes driving OCD symptoms. This exploration will help us develop personalized strategies to challenge and change your cognitive patterns.

Ready to take the next steps?

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Schedule a 15 Minute Consulation

In-Person and Online Therapy Options in California

I offer in-person therapy in Campbell, CA, conveniently located near San Jose, Los Gatos, and Saratoga, as well as virtual therapy across the state of California. Whether you're local or elsewhere in the state, you don’t have to keep managing OCD alone. If you've been searching for contamination OCD therapy, evidence-based support is available.

Start Contamination OCD Therapy Today

If you’re ready to stop letting contamination fears control your life, I’m here to help. Therapy can help you feel more grounded, free, and like yourself again.

Contact Me

Use my client information form to tell me about yourself and how you are hoping I can help you.

Contact Form

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Schedule a Consultation

Get a feel for my style and get your questions answered during our no-obligation phone screen.

Frequently asked questions

Complete the Potential Client Form and I will be in touch with you within 24 hours to set up a consultation call to discuss your symptoms and answer any questions about OCD, Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), and other OCD treatment options . If we are fit will will book an intake session from there. After our initial meeting, most clients meet with me weekly for 45-minute sessions, ideally at the same day and a time each week. We will meet more or less depending on your needs.

My fees are $340 per 60 minute initial assessment session and $255 per 45-minute therapy session.

I am an out-of-network provider for all insurance panels. If you have a PPO you may be eligible for out of network benefits and I will submit electronic claims on your behalf so that you may be partially reimbursed for your CBT sessions. You can contact your insurance company directly to find out more information about your out of network coverage.

Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) is more structured than other types of therapy. We will start our sessions by setting an agenda and intention for the session. The majority of our session time will be spent on understanding the cycle of OCD, building your coping skills and practicing challenging your fears. We will end with an action plan for you to take into your week. ERP, like cognitive behavior therapy, is at its core, flexible and collaborative so we will tailor our sessions to your needs and go at your pace.

It truth is that treatment length varies a lot. The severity of your symptoms, how long you have OCD, your motivation to work on OCD outside of session, and your life circumstances will all factor in to treatment length. With ERP, most clients start to feel some noticeable relief within three months and may achieve their goals by six months. For others it can take a year or more to achieve goals, or they find it helpful to continue to meet with a therapist to stay focused and accountable.

If you recongize yourself in the description above it is absolutely worth seeing your doctor or making an appointment wiht a therapist who specializes in OCD. They can assess your symptoms, provide a diagnosis, and recommend appropriate treatment options, such as therapy, like Exposure with Response Prevention and discuss if medication could be helpful to you. If you find yourself with worries that others don't understand or that traditional talk therapy and CBT are not giving you the results you hope for, a consolation with an OCD therapist may be useful.

About CAITLYN

I am a licensed marriage and family therapist with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I have been working as a therapist since 2009, specializing in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders. Before starting my own practice in 2021 I worked at a specialty anxiety/OCD group practice for many years, as well as community mental health, and school settings.

My practice is located in Campbell, CA in the South SF Bay Area, near San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Cupertino.

I have been working primarily with clients struggling with anxiety since 2012. Read more about my speciality training here.

My approach to anxiety and OCD treatment is compassionate and personalized. This work is challenging but we will go at your pace and focus on the symptoms that are getting in the way of your life.

Ready to get started or have more questions?

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caitlyn oscarson cognitive behavior therapist

Caitlyn OSCARSON

cognitive behavior therapy

Contamination OCD Therapy Near Me | Online & In-Person in California

What is Contamination OCD?

1. Spend Hours Per Day on Cleaning Rituals

2. Avoid Certain Places or People

3. Overwhelming Thoughts About Germs & Contaminants

4. Repetitive Checking and Reassurance-Seeking

5. Fear of Contaminating Others

How Contamination OCD Affects Your Life

My Approach to Contamination OCD

Treatment for Contamination OCD

Exposure and Response Prevention

Inference-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Medication

In-Person and Online Therapy Options in California

Start Contamination OCD Therapy Today

Contact Me

Schedule a Consultation

Frequently asked questions

1 / How do I make an appointment?

2 / How much does therapy cost and do you take insurance?

3 / Do you offer in-person/face -to-face sessions?

4 / Do you work with children and teens?

5 / What will our sessions be like?

6 / How long does OCD treatment usually take?

7 / How can I tell if I have OCD?

About CAITLYN

Caitlyn OSCARSON, LMFT

cognitive behavior therapy

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