Psychology for children and teens with OCD

Why ERP is the treatment

Not all therapy is equal for OCD. The approach with by far the strongest evidence is exposure and response prevention (ERP) — a specific form of CBT shown across randomised trials to be the front-line psychological treatment. ERP works by gradually and supportively helping a child face what triggers the obsession while not doing the compulsion, so the brain learns the anxiety subsides on its own. It isn't about white-knuckling fear; it's a carefully paced ladder with success built in at each step.

What it involves:

• Mapping the OCD cycle — making the pattern visible to child and family
• An exposure ladder — graded, agreed steps toward feared situations
• Response prevention — resisting the compulsion, with support
• Cognitive strategies — age-appropriate ways to relate differently to the thoughts

Reducing family accommodation

A defining feature of childhood OCD is accommodation — the reassurance, helping, and rearranging families do to reduce a child's distress. It's loving and completely understandable, and it also feeds the cycle. A central part of treatment is coaching parents to step back from accommodation gradually and supportively — which is often the single biggest lever, and a reason the online, home-based format works so well.

When OCD travels with something else

OCD frequently co-occurs, and the plan adapts:

• OCD + anxiety — very common; the broader anxiety is addressed alongside.
• OCD + autism — needs an autism-informed approach; ERP is adapted accordingly.

Hey Sprout's single intake catches these connections so you get one coordinated plan.

NDIS funding

OCD on its own usually isn't an NDIS access condition — the scheme assesses the functional impact of a permanent disability. Where it co-occurs with an eligible condition such as autism, psychology may be funded under Capacity Building — Improved Daily Living. For families without NDIS funding, sessions are private-pay at the NDIS rate.