Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) · A specialist approach
The treatment that breaks the OCD loop, from someone who specializes in it.
Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, is the most effective treatment we have for OCD. It works by helping you face what sets off the anxiety while skipping the ritual that usually follows, until the alarm loses its grip on your day.
What it helps with
What ERP treats
ERP was built for OCD, and the same method helps with other patterns driven by fear and avoidance.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Intrusive thoughts that feel impossible to ignore
- Checking, washing, counting, and ordering rituals
- Reassurance-seeking from family or providers
- Contamination fears and harm fears
- Phobias, panic, and avoidance
Facing the fear without the ritual
Compulsions work, briefly. The ritual quiets the anxiety, and your brain learns that the ritual is what kept you safe. ERP interrupts that lesson. You approach the trigger on purpose, then let the anxiety rise and fall on its own without the compulsion. Each time, the fear has less to stand on.
This is done with you, never to you. You and your clinician build a ladder together, starting with what is uncomfortable rather than unbearable, and you set the pace. ERP asks something real of you, which is exactly why it is delivered by a clinician trained specifically in it.
Shannon Aeschliman, LCPC specializes in ERP and provides it by secure telehealth across Illinois, which is not easy to find.
Our approach
How ERP works at LodeStone
A whole-picture, coordinated path, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Map the loop
We identify your specific triggers, the obsessions they set off, and every compulsion and avoidance you use to get relief, including the subtle mental ones.
Build the ladder together
You and your clinician rank those triggers from mildest to hardest, then start where it is challenging but manageable. You always know what is coming next.
Practice until it loosens
You face each step without the ritual, in session and between sessions, moving up the ladder as your brain learns the fear no longer needs answering.
ERP is the frontline treatment for OCD, and it pairs well with medication when that helps. Not sure where to start? Get answers and we will match you with the right clinician.
We provide this care in person at our Hinsdale and Woodstock offices, and by telehealth across Illinois. We are in-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice, Aetna, Medicare, and United Behavioral Health, and we verify your benefits before your first visit.