Jamie Fall

I wanted to become a therapist at a pretty early age. I really enjoy talking with people, getting to know them, and playing a role in helping their life become a little bit better. Sometimes, even a lot better. I don't have OCD myself, but as a child, I had pretty severe social anxiety. I didn't talk very much. It's funny that I'm a therapist now and talk all day long with people. I also had some generalized anxiety and perfectionism, which sometimes goes along with OCD. It resonates with me that people—including myself—are just people, and our brains are the way they are. They don't have to define how we live our lives. There's help, there's treatment. If you get the right kind of help, you don't have to suffer so much.

In about the last 10 years, I started to see some adults and children with OCD who had clearly been misdiagnosed. So I started to learn more about it and found that I really enjoyed working with people with OCD and their families. There aren't many therapists who know a lot about OCD, and a long time ago I was one of the few. When I see someone with OCD, I make sure that they’re properly diagnosed and treated, which means using ERP.

I've worked in many different areas, mainly with children and families. I’ve worked with children who have had pretty severe trouble in the past—depression, generalized anxiety, and phobias. I've also worked with many children who are on the Autism spectrum. I really enjoy helping parents with their parenting strategies to help address behavioral issues in their children.

My approach is to really get to know who's sitting in front of me. I want to know about your personality, and I want you to get to know me. I'm down-to-earth and I've been around for a long time. I've heard everything, and nothing is going to shock me. I am non-judgmental, and I really understand that people are suffering when they're sitting in front of me. I will never forget that. Therapy is going to require a lot of hard work for both of us. But in the end, the work will be worth it. Short term, there will be some hard, distressing things we'll talk out and work on. When you do ERP, it'll be uncomfortable in the short run, but in the long run, you'll feel better.

That's pretty common. A lot of people are afraid to share their thoughts. Just know that I know how OCD works. Unfortunately, OCD is very tricky and bossy and picks on the things that we care about the most. OCD may give you thoughts that you would never act on or that you don't really believe. I know the kinds of things OCD says to you, and I can separate OCD thoughts from you, the person. I want you to know that you are not your OCD. OCD is a part of you, and you’re living with it. But that’s not the real you. If you're afraid, share just a few things. Notice how your therapist reacts, whether that's me or someone else. And I think you're going to see that it's going to be okay.