The Nashville OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center was founded in 2018 to provide the middle Tennessee area with high-quality, evidence-based care for OCD and anxiety. We treat individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, sexual orientation, or nation of origin. The staircase was chosen as the logo for the NOATC for a few reasons.
First, the treatment for anxiety and OCD requires that clients face their fears in a gradual and progressive manner, one step at a time. Doing so involves using a hierarchy, which starts with less challenging items and works up to harder ones. Second, good treatment requires adherence to a structured approach with clear steps. We use treatments that have been vetted by research. Finally, when clients successfully navigate treatment, they are able to gain new perspective from this vantage point. We would be honored to work with you as you embark on your climb toward health.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern experienced by Americans, with over 30% of individuals meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder over the lifespan. Common anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, panic disorder, and specific phobias. Although everyone experiences some worry, it is best to seek professional support when symptoms begin to interfere with tasks of daily living such as work, school, or relationships, or cause considerable distress.
Kids experience anxiety as well. At the NOATC, we have developmentally sensitive clinicians who will use best practices to treat anxiety across the lifespan. Read more about the specific types of anxiety we treat and how we treat them here.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by unwanted and persistent thoughts, images, or urges, and compulsive behaviors or mental rituals that serve to alleviate anxiety. OCD occurs in 1-2% of the population and is experienced by adults and children alike. The gold standard treatment for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a specific form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This treatment helps individuals to reduce symptoms by fostering engagement with distressing triggers while reducing compulsive behaviors.
In addition to OCD, other OC-related disorders that we treat include body dysmorphic disorder, hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (excoriation disorder), hoarding disorder, and more. Read more about these disorders here.
Tics are sudden, repetitive movements and/or vocalizations that individuals often experience as involuntary. Common motor tics include behaviors such as blinking, twitching, grimacing, and jerking, while vocal tics include throat clearing, sniffing, chirping, or grunting. Tics can also become quite complex and involve full-body movements or the utterance of syllables, words, or phrases. We treat tics at the NOATC in part because of their frequent concurrence with OCD, especially in prepubertal children.
To treat tics behaviorally, we use the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), an evidence-based treatment that is effective for the reduction of tics. Learn more about tic disorders and how we treat them here.
We understand that sometimes individuals want support for their anxiety even when it doesn't meet the full criteria for an anxiety disorder. We are glad to speak with you for a free consultation to determine if we are still a good fit for your needs.
Additionally, we know that anxiety disorders and OCD do not occur within a vacuum. Many people with these disorders also struggle with depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, school refusal, insomnia, grief, disordered eating, and other concerns. We will integrate techniques into treatment that address these co-occurring issues. Those individuals who have active anorexia, psychotic symptoms, or substance abuse are not the best fit for our clinic. Learn more about our areas of focus here.
Ready to get help?
Click one of the buttons below to fill out a questionnaire and be contacted by us about options. We currently have a waitlist but will do our best to get you in as soon as we are able.
