Amanda Contento

When I was younger, I was in family therapy with my mom, and it really made an impact on our relationship. To this day, we are best friends. When I was younger, we couldn't even be in the same room together. Being able to see the impact therapy had on my relationship with my parents, I wanted to kind of give back to the community and offer that same value. I enjoy making a positive impact on others' lives, and seeing the transformation people can make through therapy.

I wanted to learn something new, to broaden my experience, and to help a wide variety of people with different diagnoses. With ERP, I've seen a lot of improvement. It's very effective, if you're ready to put in the effort, especially between sessions. It's not just meeting once or twice a week with your therapist. There's work to do between therapy sessions as well.

I specialize in family and couples’ work, and working with parents. That informs my work with OCD. I often bring in my members' significant others and family members to help them out with their ERP.

We don’t do talk therapy. We are a type of therapy that will help you see long-term changes. We hit the ground running and begin exposures and education on how to treat OCD, to give you the information you need to work on intrusive thoughts. That said, I'm very understanding. I go at your pace. Some people like to get into ERP right away. Some people like to set some ground rules for therapy before we begin. I take a person-centered approach and will enlist your strengths to help you in ERP.

Know that this is a safe environment. This is a non-judgmental place. Other people also have many of the thoughts you're experiencing. It won't be the first time I've heard these intrusive thoughts that may embarrass you.