Michelle Soares

Growing up, I was always the person that my friends and family went to when they wanted to vent and feel better. I always had the right thing to say to them. It sparked an interest in helping other people. I took a psychology class in high school and loved it. I pursued it in undergrad and grad school, then made my way here to NOCD. I have friends and family with anxiety disorders and depression. As a therapist, that has been helpful. I know what I need to do to help people get better.

I moved cross-country almost three years ago and happened to have the fortune of looking for a job at the same time that one became available at a partial hospitalization program for OCD. I got the job, dived into the OCD and ERP world, and haven't turned back since. One of my fondest memories in the OCD/ERP world was working with an older gentleman. He had been in and out of treatment, getting the wrong kind of therapy for years. And he finally found the right one. At the beginning, he was afraid of allergens and animals. At the end, his daughters got him two bunnies. It was the best experience, and so precious—seeing that journey from 'I'm always going to listen to the OCD,' to 'You know what? There are things that are way more important than what OCD is telling me right now.'

I've had experiences in different settings, but being able to work with someone longer-term is what I find most satisfactory. When I first started in the mental health field, I was at a residential group home for people who had severe and persistent mental illness. I loved the population that I worked with, because they were with me long term. I really got to see them progress and achieve a better quality of life. Prior to doing OCD work, I worked at an inpatient adult psychiatric unit, mostly with people who had major depressive disorder, a variety of anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance abuse.

This is probably the toughest therapy you're going to go through. But it's also the most rewarding and impactful. ERP is a really cool intervention. Once you get it, it works, and you can run with it. You should know that I am going to be direct. I'm going to push you, to be the coach encouraging you to go beyond what you think is possible—with your consent, obviously! I want to empower you to take charge, to get into your own driver's seat of life and kick OCD to the back seat.

I'm not going to judge you. I've heard so many different things. Sharing some of these scary and uncomfortable thoughts can feel like a real exposure. But to make OCD loosen its grip on you, it's necessary. OCD makes shame set in: 'Don't talk about this, they're not going to understand, they're going to judge you.' But that's just its way of trying to exert more control over you. I want you to understand that you are not just your OCD. OCD can take away so many things in a person's life. It can cause anxiety or depression, and make you feel like things are out of control. My experience helps me pinpoint those things. I believe that every aspect of your story deserves to be heard. All of them influence your struggles in the present moment.