OCD & Anxiety Specialist
Online Evidence-Based Therapy for Anxiety and OCD
If you’re feeling stuck in anxiety, intrusive thoughts, rumination, avoidance, or repetitive compulsions that keep pulling you back in, you’re not alone. I'm Josh Kaplan, LCSW, and I can help you get unstuck using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and CBT—the most effective treatments for OCD and anxiety.
Available in CO, UT, AZ, NV, WA, NJ, IL
At the heart of effective therapy is a genuine, trusting relationship. I can know every skill, tool, and intervention in the world, but if you don't feel safe with me, we won't get anywhere - Josh Kaplan, LCSW
How OCD and anxiety often show up
OCD and anxiety don’t look the same for everyone, but they follow the same cycle. You might get stuck in rumination, replaying things over and over, or feel pulled to check, wash, research, or seek reassurance time and time again. For some, it’s fear or doubt-inducing intrusive thoughts; for others, it’s panic, health fears, or avoiding places, situations, or triggers altogether. Even when it doesn’t fully make sense, it still feels very real. Over time, it can start to feel overwhelming, like it’s taking up more and more space and getting harder to manage on your own.
You may have already tried therapy and felt some relief in the moment, only to find the symptoms return shortly after. That’s often because OCD and anxiety can be unintentionally reinforced through traditional talk therapy or non-specialized approaches, even by well-intentioned therapists. Without directly targeting the cycle, it tends to stay in place.
An evidence-based approach to OCD and anxiety treatment
Anxiety disorders and OCD are neuropsychological conditions driven by a misfiring of the brain’s alarm system (the amygdala), sending danger signals even when there isn’t a real threat. Most people naturally try to manage this by escaping, avoiding, or controlling what feels uncomfortable—and that makes sense, because we’re wired to stay safe. But over time, that approach actually reinforces the fear and keeps the alarm system on high alert. The more you try to control, escape, or avoid it, the more stuck and overwhelmed you become. In other words, the more you try to stop feeling anxious and uncertain, the more anxious and uncertain you feel.
There is a way out. I use Exposure and Response Prevention (a specialized form of CBT), the most effective and well-researched treatment for OCD and anxiety, to help you take a different approach that leads to real, lasting relief. ERP is an exposure-based therapy that helps your brain learn something new. Instead of avoiding what feels uncomfortable, you gradually face it while learning more adaptive ways of responding—replacing patterns of escape, avoidance, and control with skills that no longer reinforce the cycle. This process is done collaboratively, at a pace that feels manageable, and with my guidance every step of the way—so it’s both safe and empowering.
Through this process, your brain begins to update through neuroplasticity. ERP provides the ingredients your brain has been needing all along. Your brain learns that the thoughts, feelings, and triggers you’ve been reacting to aren’t actually dangerous, and that you can handle them. As this new learning takes hold throughout ERP, the anxiety loses its frequency, intensity, and urgency. You’ll spend less time stuck, feel more in control of your responses, and experience a meaningful reduction in anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and doubt.
About Josh Kaplan
I bring over 15 years of experience specializing in the treatment of OCD and anxiety disorders, and my work is focused exclusively on helping people break free from these patterns. I’m deeply committed to helping you not just understand what’s happening, but learn and consistently practice the tools that lead to lasting relief and real freedom from what can feel at times overwhelming and debilitating.
As an anxiety and OCD specialist, this is the sole focus of my work. I’ve received advanced training and certification in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD, and have worked across multiple treatment settings with individuals ranging from mild to severe presentations. I continue to provide training and consultation to therapists newer to this area of treatment.
I continue to stay current in the field through ongoing education and my involvement with the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). Working with a specialist matters; these disorders are highly treatable, but the approach has to be precise. If you’d like to learn more about my background, training, and experience, you can review my CV below.
What you can expect
You won’t just be talking about your anxiety each week, you’ll be learning how it works and how to change your response to it. I’ll help you understand your specific OCD or anxiety cycle so it actually makes sense, and then teach you the proven tools to break out of it.
Over time, you’ll start to think and respond differently on your own. The goal is for you to become your own anxiety expert, someone who knows how to handle anxiety, intrusive thoughts, uncertainty, and discomfort without getting pulled back into the same circular patterns.
This is an active, skill-based process, and with practice, it leads to lasting change.
Long-term reduction in anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and doubt
Experience a gradual, lasting reduction in anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and doubt as you stop reinforcing the cycle that keeps them going. Over time, you spend less energy trying to manage or anxiety—and more time feeling steady, focused, and in control of your life.
Less time stuck in rumination and overthinking
Instead of going back and forth trying to figure things out, you’ll learn how to notice when your mind is starting to spiral, step out of those patterns, and redirect your focus back to what actually matters.
Less avoidance, repetitive behaviors, compulsions, and reassurance seeking
Instead of relying on these short-term fixes, you’ll learn how to tolerate anxiety and uncertainty healthily and effectively. Over time, you'll begin to notice greater independence from the very behaviors that have been keeping you stuck.
Here's what getting started looks like
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1. Schedule a free online 20-minute consultation
We’ll talk through what’s going on and whether this is a good fit.
2. Get an accurate diagnosis and a clear plan forward
We’ll identify your patterns and map out where to start.
3. Begin ERP and CBT focused sessions
You’ll practice responding differently to thoughts, anxiety, and urges.
4. Apply it in real life
You’ll build momentum by practicing between sessions and tracking progress.
Practical Details
100% Virtual Online Therapy Sessions
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Serving clients in CO, UT, AZ, NV, WA, NJ, IL
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Private pay (superbills available for possible reimbursement)
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My Areas of Expertise
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OCD
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Panic Disorder
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Agoraphobia
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Generalized Anxiety
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Weekly ERP Sessions
Traditional weekly or biweekly sessions provide steady, consistent structure, helping you build skills, practice new responses, and make meaningful progress at a manageable pace.
Intensive Outpatient Program
The intensive outpatient option offers several hours of ERP-focused treatment each week, allowing for deeper, faster progress, ideal for more severe symptoms or when you want to accelerate the recovery process.
Treatment Options to Support Your Specific Symptoms
No two people experience anxiety or OCD in the same way. For some, meeting once a week (or even biweekly) provides the steady structure needed to make consistent progress. For others, whether because symptoms feel especially overwhelming or there’s a desire for quicker results, a more intensive approach is warranted. That’s why I offer the flexibility of traditional weekly or biweekly sessions as well as a structured intensive outpatient program designed to create faster, more focused change.
Take the First Step Toward Getting Unstuck
Recovery begins with a single step. If you’re ready to start Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for anxiety or OCD, I invite you to schedule a free 20-minute online consultation. We’ll discuss your symptoms, goals, and what effective treatment can look like for you. Together, we’ll take the first step toward lasting relief and renewed peace of mind.