iCounselor: Your portable self help tool.
Learn skills to resist obsessions and compulsions!
All material was written by a licensed psychotherapist (LCSW) with twenty-five years of counseling experience.
Revisions on this version include a list of thinking errors that contribute to OCD, and a new icon.
You first rate the frequency and strength of the OCD thoughts on a color coded scale of 0 (none) to 10 (continual, very difficult to resist).
You then move on to the first set of skills, where you will select one of ten different calming activities to perform. If you are not sure which skill to select, shake the iPhone or iPod and one will be randomly chosen.
After following the instructions for the calming activity, you will select one of ten ways to change your thoughts, or shake the device for a random selection. Changing your thoughts in order to change your feelings is the basis of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, the most widely practiced form of psychotherapy.
After utilizing one of the thought changers, you proceed to selecting one method for resisting the rituals or compulsions (or again, you may shake the device for a random selection). This is the basis of exposure and response prevention, the evidence based method of OCD treatment.
After implementing those skills, you rate the level of OCD again in order to determine if the skills you chose were effective for you. If the level of the OCD has not reduced sufficiently, you will be given the opportunity to try again, selecting a different skill set.
The content presented is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional counseling or medical advice, and it should not be used to treat a psychiatric or medical condition. Please consult your healthcare provider or a counselor if you have any questions or concerns.