Therapy For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Dr. Valerie Leclercq offers compassionate therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder for adults in Las Vegas and Henderson, helping you manage intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, anxiety, and the exhausting need for certainty or reassurance. From her Henderson office and through secure online therapy, she provides individualized, evidence-based care designed around your experiences, symptoms, and goals.
You may feel mentally exhausted from trying to quiet thoughts that won’t let go. Maybe your mind constantly searches for certainty, reassurance, or control. Working with an experienced OCD therapist can help you better understand these patterns while learning healthier ways to respond to anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and compulsions.
Dr. Leclercq brings nearly 30 years of clinical experience and a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to therapy, creating a supportive space where you can work toward greater confidence, emotional stability, and trust in yourself.
Goals Of Therapy For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Reducing The Intensity & Frequency Of Compulsive Behaviors
Learning How To Respond To Intrusive Thoughts Without Panic
Building Tolerance For Uncertainty & Discomfort
Improving Emotional Regulation & Daily Functioning
Decreasing Shame, Guilt & Self-judgment
Strengthening Confidence & Self-Trust
Understanding OCD & When To Seek Therapy
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is more than being organized, particular, or concerned about cleanliness. OCD involves recurring intrusive thoughts, images, or urges (obsessions) and behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) used to reduce the anxiety they create.
At its core, OCD involves a cycle of intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental actions (compulsions) meant to reduce distress. The Mayo Clinic calls this the "vicious cycle" of OCD.
You may recognize that your fears are irrational while still feeling an intense need to seek reassurance, check, avoid, repeat, or find certainty. You are not alone. According to the APA, OCD currently affects 1-2% of people in the United States and can start in childhood, your teens, or in adulthood.
What Intrusive Thoughts & Compulsions Can Feel Like
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that repeatedly enter your mind and create anxiety or distress. These thoughts are often disturbing precisely because they conflict with your values and intentions.
These symptoms are not a reflection of your character. OCD targets what matters most to you, which is why the thoughts often feel so upsetting.
Common Experiences In OCD
Fear Of Harming Yourself Or Someone Else
Excessive Worry About Contamination Or Germs
Repetitive Checking Behaviors
Constant Reassurance-Seeking From Others
Intrusive Sexual, Religious, Or Violent Thoughts
Mental Rituals Like Counting, Reviewing, Or Repeating Phrases
Difficulty Tolerating Uncertainty Or “Not Knowing”
How do you know if it's OCD? An evaluation by an experienced therapist is your best bet. In the meantime, according to the International OCD Foundation, if obsessions and compulsions are taking significant time, causing distress, or interfering with work, relationships, routines, or other parts of life you value, it may be time to talk with a therapist experienced in OCD.
Why OCD Often Feels Like Constant Anxiety
OCD is closely connected to anxiety. Your brain perceives a threat, even when no real danger exists, and compulsions temporarily reduce the distress. Unfortunately, this relief is short-lived, which reinforces the cycle and causes the anxiety to return again. This is why therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder focuses not only on managing fear, but also on changing your relationship to uncertainty, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts.
You do not need to “get rid” of every unwanted thought to heal. Therapy helps you respond differently to those thoughts so they lose their power over time.
Trauma-Informed Therapy & OCD
Dr. Leclercq takes a trauma-informed approach to care, recognizing that OCD may exist alongside anxiety, trauma, chronic stress, or emotional overwhelm. When these concerns overlap, therapy can consider your broader emotional experience rather than treating symptoms in isolation. Care is collaborative and paced around your needs, comfort, and goals.
Therapy For Intrusive Thoughts Without Judgment
A core component of therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder involves learning how to respond to intrusive thoughts without fear, avoidance, or compulsive behaviors.
One of the most painful parts of OCD is the fear of what your thoughts “mean” about you. You may feel ashamed of thoughts you never wanted and would never act on. In reality, intrusive thoughts are extremely common in OCD - and having them does not make you dangerous, immoral, or broken.
What To Expect From OCD Therapy With Dr. Leclercq
Therapy begins by understanding how OCD is affecting your daily life, the patterns that feel hardest to interrupt, and what you hope will change. Dr. Leclercq tailors sessions to your individual needs rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Care is collaborative, compassionate, and grounded in evidence-based therapy, with attention to anxiety, trauma, emotional regulation, and other concerns that may overlap with OCD.
Finding The Right OCD Therapist In Nevada
Finding the right therapist matters when OCD is interfering with your daily life. Dr. Valerie Leclercq brings nearly 30 years of clinical experience to her work with adults and provides compassionate, evidence-based, trauma-informed therapy tailored to each client.
She understands that intrusive thoughts can be difficult or uncomfortable to discuss and creates a private, nonjudgmental environment where you can speak openly without shame.
Dr. Leclercq sees adults in person at her Henderson office and offers secure online therapy for clients across Nevada, including Las Vegas. Her approach considers not only obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors but also concerns such as anxiety, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and relationship difficulties when they are relevant to your care.
Frequently Asked Questions About OCD Therapy
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OCD therapy begins with understanding how intrusive thoughts, compulsions, anxiety, and other concerns are affecting your daily life.
Dr. Leclercq provides individualized, compassionate care and works collaboratively with you to identify your goals and develop healthier ways of responding to distressing thoughts and emotions.
Sessions are paced according to your needs, comfort, and progress.
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Dr. Leclercq tailors therapy to each client's individual needs rather than using the same approach for everyone.
Her work is evidence-based and trauma-informed, with attention to patterns involving intrusive thoughts, anxiety, emotional regulation, compulsive responses, and difficulty tolerating uncertainty.
When appropriate, therapy may also explore related experiences or concerns contributing to emotional distress.
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Yes. Dr. Leclercq offers secure online therapy for adults in Las Vegas and elsewhere in Nevada, making it possible to receive support without traveling to her Henderson office.
In-person therapy is also available at her Henderson location for clients who prefer face-to-face sessions.
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Yes. Dr. Leclercq works with adults experiencing intrusive thoughts, obsessive thinking, compulsive behaviors, anxiety, and related emotional concerns.
Therapy provides a private, nonjudgmental space to discuss thoughts or behaviors that may feel uncomfortable or difficult to talk about while developing healthier ways to respond to them.
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There is no single timeline for OCD therapy. The length of treatment depends on factors such as your symptoms, their impact on your daily life, your treatment goals, and whether you're also working through anxiety, trauma, or other concerns.
Dr. Leclercq can discuss your individual needs and expectations with you as therapy progresses.
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Yes. OCD can occur alongside anxiety, trauma-related distress, depression, and other emotional concerns.
When these issues overlap, Dr. Leclercq's trauma-informed approach allows therapy to consider your broader emotional well-being rather than looking at symptoms in isolation.
Treatment can be personalized around the concerns that are most relevant to you.
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Getting started begins with reaching out to Dr. Leclercq to discuss what you're experiencing and whether her approach may be a good fit for your needs.
Adults can meet with her in person at her Henderson office or access secure online therapy from Las Vegas and elsewhere in Nevada.
Schedule a consultation to take the first step.
Start OCD Therapy In Henderson & Las Vegas
If intrusive thoughts, anxiety, or compulsive behaviors are interfering with your daily life, Dr. Valerie Leclercq offers compassionate, individualized support to help you move forward. Meet with her in person at her Henderson office or through secure online therapy from Las Vegas and elsewhere in Nevada.
Schedule a consultation today to get started with OCD therapy.