Meet Josh Kaplan, LCSW -Boulder OCD Therapist
If you’re living in Boulder and struggling with OCD, you may feel caught in patterns that don’t make sense logically but still feel impossible to stop. Intrusive thoughts that won’t let go. Constant doubt. Mental reviewing. Reassurance seeking. Compulsions that offer brief relief, only for the anxiety to return again and again. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and effective help is available.
I’m Josh Kaplan, LCSW. I specialize in treating OCD and provide evidence based therapy to teens and adults in Boulder and throughout the Front Range through secure online sessions. My work is focused on helping people break the OCD cycle and regain a sense of calm, confidence, and freedom in their daily lives.
When OCD Starts Taking Over Your Life?
OCD is not simply being anxious, tidy, or perfectionistic. It is a cycle of intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger distress, followed by behaviors or mental rituals meant to make that discomfort go away. These responses can include checking, reviewing, analyzing, seeking reassurance, avoiding certain situations, or trying to achieve certainty before moving forward.
Over time, OCD can dominate your mental space. You may find yourself constantly stuck in your head, questioning your thoughts, replaying conversations, or trying to determine whether a fear is real or dangerous. Even when part of you knows the fear doesn’t make sense, the urge to respond can feel overwhelming.
Left untreated, OCD often shrinks life. It can interfere with work, school, relationships, and your ability to be present and engaged. Many people feel frustrated or discouraged, especially if they have tried traditional talk therapy or insight based approaches that did not lead to meaningful change.
Specialized OCD Treatment for Fort Boulder Residents
I work exclusively with anxiety disorders and OCD, including a wide range of OCD themes and presentations. I provide treatment to teens and adults in Boulder, including university students, professionals, and individuals navigating high expectations and demanding environments.
Although my practice is based in Denver, I work with Boulder residents entirely through online therapy. This allows you to access specialized OCD treatment without being limited to general providers or long waitlists. Online OCD therapy is structured, effective, and well suited for exposure based treatment.
Evidence-Based ERP Treatment That Targets OCD at the Core
OCD does not improve by thinking harder, analyzing thoughts more deeply, or finding the perfect explanation. In fact, these strategies often strengthen the cycle and increase distress over time.
The most effective treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. ERP is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD and is supported by decades of research.
ERP works by helping you gradually face feared thoughts, sensations, or situations while learning to resist compulsions and mental rituals. Over time, your brain learns that anxiety can rise and fall on its own and that certainty is not required in order to live your life. This is how OCD loosens its grip.
My approach is collaborative, structured, and tailored to your specific symptoms. We focus on changing how you respond to intrusive thoughts rather than trying to eliminate them.
Why Work With an OCD Specialist
OCD requires specialized treatment. Many well intentioned approaches unintentionally reinforce OCD by offering reassurance, encouraging excessive analysis, or avoiding feared material.
I have spent close to 15 years specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders and OCD. My work focuses exclusively on evidence based approaches designed to reduce symptoms and support long term recovery. I do not use reassurance based therapy, and I do not treat OCD as a general anxiety issue.
Working with a specialist means receiving targeted treatment that addresses OCD directly, rather than strategies that provide short term relief while keeping the cycle going.
What OCD Therapy Looks Like in Practice
Treatment begins with a clear understanding of how OCD shows up in your life. Together, we identify triggers, compulsions, avoidance patterns, and the fears that keep the cycle going.
From there, we develop a gradual ERP plan that is challenging but manageable. Sessions are active and goal focused. Between sessions, you will practice exposures and response prevention in real world situations, helping you apply what you are learning outside of therapy.
Progress is not about eliminating anxiety entirely. It is about building the ability to tolerate discomfort and uncertainty without letting OCD dictate your choices. Over time, this leads to meaningful and lasting change.
Start Therapy For OCD in Boulder
If OCD has been controlling more of your life than you want, help is available. With the right treatment, it is possible to break out of the OCD cycle and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
I offer a free 20 minute online consultation to answer questions, discuss your symptoms, and help you determine whether my approach is the right fit.
CBT 4 Anxiety