Licensed ERP Therapists
ERP Therapy in Indianapolis for OCD and Anxiety Treatment
Sommer Psychology Group provides evidence-based ERP therapy for OCD and anxiety for young adults and adults in Indianapolis. Our licensed therapists use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to help you break obsessive-compulsive cycles, reduce anxiety, and regain control. We offer in-person ERP therapy in Indianapolis and secure online sessions across Indiana for flexible, effective care that fits your life.
- I get stuck in the same thoughts over and over, and I can’t shut them off.
- I feel like I have to do certain things “just right” or something bad might happen.
- I know my fears or rituals don’t make sense, but I can’t seem to stop them.
- I spend so much time on mental or physical routines that I constantly feel exhausted.
- I feel isolated and ashamed, like no one would understand what I’m going through.
- I’m constantly second-guessing myself, my actions, and even my memories.
What Is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat OCD and anxiety disorders by changing how the brain responds to fear. Many people experiencing anxiety or OCD fall into patterns like:
- Avoiding certain situations or activities
- Repeating behaviors to feel “safe” or certain
- Seeking constant reassurance
- Mentally reviewing or checking things over and over
At Sommer Psychology Group, we utilize ERP to help you find relief from anxiety, gain confidence, and develop the tools to create healthier, more fulfilling relationships with yourself and others.
ERP Therapy in Indianapolis
What is ERP Therapy Like?
Many people feel nervous when they hear the word “exposure.” In reality, ERP therapy is collaborative, gradual, and personalized.
At Sommer Psychology Group, ERP therapy is structured in a way that helps clients build confidence step by step. During ERP treatment, you can expect to:
- Learn how anxiety and OCD cycles develop
- Identify specific triggers and behaviors that maintain anxiety
- Create a personalized hierarchy of exposures
- Practice gradually facing fears in manageable steps
- Reduce rituals, reassurance seeking, and avoidance patterns
- Build confidence tolerating uncertainty and discomfort
ERP for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
ERP for Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder can be effectively treated using ERP, which focuses on reducing fear of social situations by breaking the cycle of avoidance and safety behaviors. This condition involves a strong fear of being judged, embarrassed, or negatively evaluated.
In ERP, individuals learn that behaviors like avoiding eye contact, over-rehearsing, or seeking reassurance may temporarily reduce anxiety but ultimately maintain it by preventing new learning.
Treatment involves gradually entering feared social situations (exposure) while dropping safety behaviors (response prevention). For example, someone might practice starting conversations without over-preparing or allow themselves to show signs of anxiety without trying to hide them. Over time, this helps disconfirm feared outcomes, reduce self-focused attention, and build confidence in social interactions.
As a result, they often avoid social interactions whenever possible. When faced with social situations they can’t avoid, they may experience physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, shaking, blushing, dizziness, or even full-blown panic attacks. Social anxiety can significantly interfere with everyday activities, including school, work, or maintaining relationships.
ERP for Perfectionism
Perfectionism can be addressed using ERP by targeting rigid standards and the behaviors used to avoid mistakes or discomfort. Individuals with perfectionism often engage in excessive checking, over-preparing, procrastination, or avoidance to prevent imperfection.
In ERP, individuals learn that these behaviors maintain anxiety and reinforce the belief that mistakes are unacceptable or harmful.
Treatment involves intentionally creating situations where imperfection is possible (exposure) while resisting the urge to correct, check, or overcompensate (response prevention). For example, someone might submit work without excessive review or deliberately leave small errors uncorrected. Over time, this helps build tolerance for imperfection, reduce fear of mistakes, and develop more flexible standards.
ERP for Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is effectively treated using ERP, particularly through interoceptive exposure, which targets fear of physical sensations. Panic attacks involve intense bodily symptoms that are often misinterpreted as dangerous.
In ERP, individuals learn that attempts to avoid or control these sensations—such as escaping situations or using safety behaviors—maintain the fear of panic.
Treatment involves deliberately bringing on feared physical sensations (exposure), such as increased heart rate or dizziness, while refraining from avoidance or safety behaviors (response prevention). Individuals may also enter situations they’ve been avoiding. Over time, this reduces fear of bodily sensations, breaks the cycle of panic, and restores confidence in one’s ability to cope.
When someone becomes overly focused on the possibility of experiencing future panic attacks and begins to fear them, they may be diagnosed with panic disorder. Many individuals with panic disorder also begin avoiding public or unfamiliar places where they fear having an attack and not being able to get help, this pattern of avoidance is referred to as agoraphobia.
ERP for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be treated using ERP by targeting excessive worry and attempts to gain certainty. GAD involves persistent worry about everyday concerns, often driven by a low tolerance for uncertainty.
In ERP, individuals learn that behaviors like reassurance seeking, overthinking, or mentally reviewing scenarios function similarly to compulsions by temporarily reducing anxiety but reinforcing the need for certainty.
Treatment involves intentionally facing uncertainty (exposure) while resisting the urge to engage in worry or reassurance (response prevention). For example, someone might allow a worry to remain unresolved without analyzing it. Over time, this helps increase tolerance for uncertainty, reduce reliance on worry, and decrease overall anxiety.
ERP for Specific Phobias
Specific phobias are highly responsive to ERP, which focuses on reducing fear through direct, repeated exposure to the feared object or situation. Phobias involve intense, immediate anxiety and strong avoidance.
In ERP, individuals learn that avoidance keeps the fear strong by preventing the brain from learning that the situation is safe or manageable.
Treatment involves gradually and repeatedly confronting the feared stimulus (exposure) while refraining from escaping or using safety behaviors (response prevention). For example, someone with a fear of dogs might start by looking at pictures, then being near a dog, and eventually interacting with one. Over time, anxiety decreases, and the fear response weakens, allowing for greater freedom in daily life.
People with specific phobias will often go out of their way to avoid encountering their feared object or situation, even if it interferes with daily life, work, or relationships. Some commonly used terms for specific phobias include emetophobia (fear of vomiting), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), and trypophobia (aversion to clusters of holes or patterns).
We are here to help you overcome OCD and anxiety
ERP Therapy in Indianapolis
How ERP Therapy Can Help
Exposure and Response Prevention therapy has been extensively studied and is considered the most effective psychological treatment for OCD and related anxiety disorders. With consistent practice and support, ERP therapy can help individuals:
- Reduce the intensity and frequency of intrusive thoughts
- Spend less time performing rituals or mental compulsions
- Feel more comfortable facing situations that previously caused anxiety
- Improve relationships, work performance, and daily functioning
- Build resilience when uncertainty or discomfort arises
Many clients find that ERP helps them regain time, energy, and freedom that anxiety had taken away.
Our Approach to ERP Therapy
How Our ERP Therapy Works
Our treatment process focuses on helping clients understand their anxiety patterns, develop new responses to fear, and gradually reduce avoidance behaviors.
We begin with an intake session to understand your experiences with anxiety or OCD, including triggers, rituals, and avoidance patterns. This helps us design a personalized ERP treatment plan.
Together, we create a structured exposure hierarchy that breaks fears into manageable steps. This allows therapy to move at a pace that feels challenging but achievable.
You’ll learn evidence-based strategies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure techniques, to manage anxious thoughts, reduce avoidance, and increase your confidence in handling life’s challenges. These tools support long-term growth and emotional resilience.
ABOUT US
Why Work With Sommer Psychology Group
We understand that life can sometimes feel overwhelming—whether it’s managing anxiety, balancing responsibilities, or facing the fear of the unknown. As ERP specialists who work with individuals who struggle with anxiety, OCD, and related disorders, we aim to help you find your way forward.
Our approach is solutions-focused and evidence-based, designed to meet your unique needs and help you achieve lasting change. Whether you’re dealing with stress, life transitions, or relationship challenges, we are dedicated to giving you the tools to overcome obstacles and thrive.
At Sommer Psychology Group, we believe in the power of quality care. That means giving you dedicated, thoughtful, and individualized support, with the flexibility of virtual sessions that fit into your life, wherever you are.
Our evidence-based therapy is grounded in three core principles:
Integrity
We believe integrity is the foundation of effective therapy. It fosters trust, respect, and accountability, ensuring our clients receive honest, consistent, and ethical guidance throughout their journey.
Compassion
Compassion is at the heart of our practice. It nurtures emotional healing, creating a safe space where clients can feel heard, valued, and understood while developing a culture of collaboration and respect.
Quality Care
We prioritize quality care to ensure the best outcomes for our clients. By addressing both clinical needs and emotional well-being, we build trust and deliver effective therapy that supports long-term growth and success.
Meet Our ERP Therapists
Sommer Psychology Group is a specialty clinic providing evidence-based care for anxiety, OCD, and related disorders for young adults and adults in Indianapolis. Our licensed therapists are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and work collaboratively to help clients reduce anxiety, break out of stuck patterns, and build lasting change.
ERP Therapy in indianapolis
Questions About ERP Therapy
Can anxiety and OCD be treated with ERP therapy?
Yes. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective, evidence-based treatment for OCD and many anxiety disorders. While these conditions may not fully “disappear,” ERP helps people gain control over their symptoms, significantly reduce distress, and return to living a full, meaningful life.
How does ERP help stop anxiety from interfering with my life?
ERP works by helping you gradually face the thoughts, situations, or sensations you fear—without relying on avoidance or rituals. Over time, your brain learns that anxiety is tolerable and temporary, and that you don’t need compulsions or reassurance to feel okay. This leads to less anxiety and more freedom in your daily life.
What causes anxiety and OCD, and how does ERP address it?
Anxiety and OCD are driven by a combination of biological sensitivity, life experiences, and learned patterns of avoiding discomfort. These patterns keep anxiety going over time. ERP directly targets this cycle by helping you face fears and break habits like avoidance, checking, and reassurance seeking.
Why can’t I just relax or think my way out of anxiety?
Anxiety and OCD aren’t simply problems of logic—they’re driven by how your brain responds to perceived threats. Trying to “think your way out” often makes anxiety worse. ERP focuses on changing your relationship with anxiety through action and experience, rather than trying to eliminate it through reasoning alone.
How long does ERP therapy take to work?
Many people begin to notice improvement within a few weeks of consistent ERP practice. Significant progress often occurs over a few months, depending on the severity of symptoms and level of engagement. ERP is most effective when practiced regularly both in and outside of sessions.
Have More Questions?
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ERP Therapy in indianapolis
Sommer Psychology Group
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