What is OCD?
This page is about obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. What it is, how the cycle works, and how psychological support at Integro Health can help you break it in a safe, non-judgemental environment in South West WA.
OCD is a pattern of unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges, called obsessions, that trigger intense anxiety, followed by behaviours or mental acts, called compulsions, that you feel driven to perform to relieve that anxiety. The relief is real but temporary, which is exactly why the cycle is so hard to break. OCD can focus on contamination, harm, symmetry, relationships, morality, and much more. It is not about being tidy or liking things neat, and it is far more distressing than the casual way the term is often used suggests.
How the OCD cycle works
OCD runs on a loop. An intrusive thought creates a spike of anxiety and a sense that something is wrong or dangerous. A compulsion, such as checking, washing, seeking reassurance, or repeating something mentally, brings that anxiety down. Because the relief feels like it worked, the brain learns to rely on the compulsion, and the loop tightens. Everyone has strange intrusive thoughts. In OCD, it is the meaning attached to them and the compulsions that follow that cause the trouble. Many people with OCD also experience anxiety, depression, or panic.
What we often see in practice is that the harder someone fights or tries to reassure themselves out of the thoughts, the stronger the cycle becomes. Understanding that the compulsions, not the thoughts, are what keep OCD alive is usually where meaningful change begins.
At Integro Health, we use approaches designed specifically for OCD, and we go at a pace you can manage, so the work is challenging in a supported way, never overwhelming.
How we work with you on OCD
There is a clear, evidence-based way through OCD, and you do not have to do it alone or all at once. What we do is work alongside you, at a pace you can manage, using approaches grounded in psychological evidence and shaped by your individual story.
Understanding your experience
Your first sessions are about building a picture of you, not just the OCD, but your history, your relationships, your emotional world, and what you are hoping life might look and feel like. There is no rush here. We ask questions because we genuinely want to understand.
Understanding your particular cycle
Together, we map out how OCD works for you specifically. What are the obsessions? What compulsions or mental rituals follow? What does OCD threaten will happen if you do not perform them? Seeing your own cycle clearly is the foundation for loosening its grip.
Working with the underlying layers
OCD often sits alongside anxiety, perfectionism, or a heightened sense of responsibility. We work with those layers too, using approaches like CBT and, where helpful, EMDR or schema therapy, so we are treating more than just the surface behaviours.
Building new ways of responding
Using exposure and response prevention, the gold-standard approach for OCD, we help you gradually face the anxiety without performing the compulsion, so your brain learns that the feared outcome does not come and the anxiety fades on its own.
Ongoing support at the right pace
Change rarely happens in a straight line. Sessions are spaced to suit where you are, more frequent during difficult periods, stepped back as you gain ground. We are here for as long as the journey needs us to be, whether that is a few months or considerably longer.
Meet the Team
At Integro Health, you do not just book a clinic. You choose a practitioner who understands you. Our team of experienced psychotherapists brings clinical depth, genuine warmth, and a broad range of specialisations together under one roof. Take a moment to read about each of our practitioners and find the right fit for where you are right now.
Dr Paul King
General Practitioner
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery
FRACGP Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Jools Fordyce
Social Worker & Family Therapist
Bachelor (Hons) – Applied Social Science with Diploma in Social Work
Postgraduate Diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy
Brooke Eden
Psychologist
Bachelor of Psychology
Graduate Diploma of Education
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Nicholas Kerr
Psychologist
Masters of Psychology (Organisational)
Bachelor of Arts
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Carli King
Office Administrator
As Practice Manager, Carli keeps the daily operations of Integro Health running smoothly, ensuring our clients always receive the highest standard of care.
What you can expect when you reach out
No judgement, ever
Whatever your intrusive thoughts involve, however disturbing they feel, you will be met with warmth and genuine care. Not a lecture, and not a checklist.
A whole-person lens
We look at every part of you, your mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing, because OCD rarely lives in just one part of a person’s life.
Evidence-based approaches
We use exposure and response prevention and CBT, the approaches with the strongest evidence for OCD, tailored to you. Not a one-size protocol, but a genuinely individual plan.
In-clinic and online options
Whether you can get to our Eaton clinic in Bunbury or you need the privacy and convenience of telehealth, we can work with you wherever you are in South West WA and beyond.
What people get wrong about OCD
The most common myth about OCD is that it means being neat, organised, or liking things a certain way. In truth, OCD is a serious and often hidden condition driven by anxiety and distressing intrusive thoughts. Using the word casually to mean tidy overlooks how genuinely difficult it is to live with.
Another misconception is that the content of the thoughts reveals something about who you really are. It does not. OCD tends to latch onto whatever you care about most and would find most upsetting, which is exactly why the thoughts feel so distressing. Having an intrusive thought is not the same as wanting or meaning it.
We also see many people in South West WA who have hidden their OCD for years, ashamed of their thoughts or their rituals, before reaching out. Secrecy feeds OCD. One of the first things we do is make it safe to bring the whole thing into the open, without judgement.
Finally, many people believe OCD cannot really be treated, only endured. That is not true. Individual therapy and counselling, delivered privately one-on-one at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury or by telehealth to locations like Margaret River, using proven approaches, helps a great many people significantly reduce OCD’s hold on their lives.
Is what I am experiencing actually OCD?
It is common to wonder whether your habits or worries are just quirks, or whether they add up to OCD. The honest answer is that the label matters less than the impact, and a proper assessment can help clarify it.
If intrusive thoughts and the urge to check, wash, repeat, seek reassurance, or perform mental rituals are taking up significant time, causing you distress, or interfering with your life, even some of the time, then it is worth exploring with a psychotherapist. You do not need to be certain it is OCD to deserve support.
How OCD shows up
OCD can centre on almost any theme, but some common ones include:
Contamination and washing, involving fears of germs, illness, or contamination, followed by cleaning or avoidance.
Checking and responsibility, involving fears of causing harm or making a terrible mistake, followed by checking or reassurance-seeking.
Intrusive thoughts and mental rituals, including distressing thoughts about harm, morality, relationships, or identity, followed by mental reviewing, neutralising, or seeking certainty. This overlaps closely with anxiety.
At Integro Health, we are not primarily focused on which theme fits you. What we care about is whether OCD is getting in the way of you feeling well, thinking clearly, and living the way you want to. You can read more about what the first session looks like here.
Your questions answered
Yes, in many cases. A Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP provides access to a Medicare rebate for up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year with a registered psychologist. Your GP will assess your eligibility, and your sessions at Integro Health can be structured to make the most of those rebated appointments. It is worth speaking with your GP in Bunbury, Busselton, or wherever you are located to get a referral in place before your first session.
No. Distressing intrusive thoughts, including violent, sexual, or taboo ones, are a very common feature of OCD, and they are the opposite of intention. We understand this well, and part of what makes OCD so painful is how much the thoughts clash with your actual values. You can speak openly here without fear of being judged.
Yes. Everything you share in sessions is confidential. There are narrow legal exceptions, for example if there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or another person, but outside of those circumstances your privacy is protected. We will explain these boundaries clearly in your first session so there are no surprises.
Yes. We offer telehealth sessions across South West WA and Australia-wide, which means you can access support from anywhere, whether you are in a regional area like Manjimup or Collie, or simply prefer the privacy of attending from home. Telehealth sessions work in the same structured, safe way as in-clinic appointments.
OCD often responds well to focused, structured work. Many people see meaningful improvement over a few months of consistent sessions using exposure and response prevention. More entrenched or longstanding OCD can take longer. We will set a clear plan with you and review progress regularly.
Exposure work is central to treating OCD, but it is always gradual, planned, and done with your full agreement, never thrown at you. We build up step by step, starting with what is manageable, so you are always in control. Done this way, it is challenging but genuinely doable, and it works.
No referral is needed to book a session. If you wish to access Medicare rebates through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need a GP referral first, but you are welcome to contact us directly and we can guide you through that process if needed.
The most effective approach for OCD is a form of CBT called exposure and response prevention (ERP), which helps you face triggers without performing compulsions so the cycle can break. We also draw on wider CBT and, where anxiety or early patterns underlie the OCD, on ACT and schema therapy. We tailor the plan to you.
Medically reviewed by
General Practitioner
The clinical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Dr Paul King, General Practitioner at Integro Health. It is general information, and not a substitute for personal medical or psychological advice.
