ERP therapy on Cape Cod
Avoidance can keep anxiety and OCD going — ERP can help you take your life back, one step at a time.
Start Exposure and Response Prevention therapy and learn how to face fears without letting them control you. Available on Cape Cod and virtually across Massachusetts.
What is ERP Therapy?
ERP is a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed to help you face your fears in a gradual, manageable way while resisting the urge to perform rituals or avoidance behaviors. Over time, this process retrains your brain to recognize that you can tolerate discomfort — and that anxiety naturally decreases without giving in to compulsions.
In ERP, you and Dr. Tice work together to identify your triggers, plan exposures at a pace that feels safe and achievable, and practice responding differently to intrusive thoughts or anxiety. Each session is structured, purposeful, and guided by evidence, not guesswork.
ERP therapy is the Gold Standard
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is one of the most effective, research-backed treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety-related conditions. At Proven Relief Therapy, Dr. Alex Tice uses ERP to help clients of all ages break free from the cycle of fear, avoidance, and compulsive behavior — and find real, lasting relief.
ERP is active, structured, and collaborative. It’s not about pushing you into fear, but about teaching the brain that anxiety doesn’t have to control your choices or define your life.
When is ERP helpful?
ERP may be a good fit if you feel stuck in patterns such as:
Avoiding people, places, objects, activities, or decisions because they trigger anxiety
Repeating behaviors until things feel “safe,” “certain,” or “just right”
Seeking reassurance even when the relief does not last
Checking, washing, counting, confessing, reviewing, researching, or mentally “figuring things out”
Feeling controlled by intrusive thoughts, doubts, images, urges, or “what if” fears
Wanting to face fears, but feeling unsure how to do it safely or effectively
For individuals and families looking for ERP therapy in Massachusetts, Proven Relief Therapy offers evidence-based treatment designed to help clients reduce avoidance, build confidence, and move toward a more flexible and meaningful life.
ERP therapy in OCD treatment
ERP is considered a leading evidence-based treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. OCD often works through a cycle: an intrusive thought, doubt, image, sensation, or urge creates distress; the person responds with a compulsion or avoidance behavior; anxiety decreases temporarily; and the brain learns to repeat the same pattern the next time the obsession appears. ERP treatment for OCD directly targets this cycle.
ERP for OCD may help with many symptom areas, including:
Contamination fears
Checking compulsions
Harm-related intrusive thoughts
Religious, moral, or scrupulosity concerns
Relationship OCD
Sexual-orientation or identity-related obsessions
“Just right” OCD
Symmetry, ordering, repeating, or counting rituals
Health-related obsessions
Reassurance-seeking and mental compulsions
ERP is not about forcing someone to “get over it” or prove that their fears are irrational. Instead, a skilled ERP therapist helps the client build a careful, collaborative plan for approaching OCD triggers in a gradual and manageable way.
ERP counseling in anxiety treatment
ERP is most closely associated with OCD, but exposure-based treatment is also widely used for anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy has been scientifically shown to be helpful for a range of anxiety-related problems, including phobias, panic, social anxiety, and other fear-based concerns. For anxiety, ERP therapy helps clients gradually approach feared situations, sensations, or thoughts while reducing avoidance and safety behaviors.
ERP for anxiety may help with:
Social anxiety
Specific phobias
Panic attacks and fear of body sensations
Separation anxiety
School avoidance
Performance anxiety
Health anxiety
Avoidance related to uncertainty, mistakes, embarrassment, or discomfort
For clients seeking ERP therapy in Massachusetts, treatment can be tailored to the specific fears, settings, and goals that matter most — whether that involves school, work, parenting, relationships, social situations, driving, health worries, or everyday responsibilities.
What can you expect from ERP therapy in Massachusetts?
ERP therapy is active, collaborative, and practical. It is different from therapy that focuses only on insight or reassurance. While understanding anxiety and OCD is important, ERP also emphasizes practicing new responses in real life.
In ERP therapy, you can expect to:
A good ERP therapist will not simply tell you to face your worst fear before you are ready. ERP should be structured, thoughtful, and paced according to your needs. The process may feel challenging, but it should also feel collaborative and purposeful.
ERP therapy benefits
Meet Dr. Alex Tice, an experienced ERP therapist on Cape Cod
Dr. Alex Tice is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive training and experience in Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, a highly effective, research-backed treatment for OCD and anxiety-related conditions. He helps children, teens, adults, and families break the cycle of fear, avoidance, reassurance-seeking, rituals, and compulsive behaviors through structured, step-by-step exposure work.
ERP with Dr. Tice is active, collaborative, and paced thoughtfully. Clients work together with him to identify triggers, build a manageable exposure plan, practice facing feared thoughts or situations, and reduce rituals or avoidance over time. Dr. Tice brings more than 10 years of experience, advanced CBT/ERP training, research focused on ERP for OCD and GAD, and prior experience training others in in evidence-based care.
Everything you need to know about ERP therapy on Cape Cod and across Massachusetts
Payment options
Out-network with insurance. Superbills can be provided for clients to submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Payment is due at the time of service. We accept credit cards (including HSA/FSA cards) as well as other online payment methods (e.g. Zelle) for payment.
Cost per session
Initial Diagnostic Evaluation 60 mins – $275
60-minute Psychotherapy session – $275
45-minute Psychotherapy session – $210
Location
Cape Cod, MA – in person sessions available soon!
Virtually across Massachusetts and 44 other states!
Book a free initial consultation for ERP therapy in Harwich and across Massachusetts
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Book a free initial consultation with Dr. Alex Tice to learn more about treatment options and next steps.
