Victoria Kubal

My empathy for people who are suffering initially made me want to become a therapist. Learning how to change my behavior—and wanting to teach others how to do the same—motivated me to become a behavior therapist.

I decided to specialize in treating OCD because I've been inspired by my clients' treatment progress. My graduate professor, Roger Poppen, studied with Albert Bandura, who developed the concept of self-efficacy, and Joseph Wolpe, who developed systematic desensitization, a type of exposure therapy. Through my graduate classes, I was already familiar with how to provide systematic desensitization, which was developed in the 1950s and a precursor to exposure and response prevention (ERP), first attempted in the 1960s. Because participation in ERP resulted in treatment gains for my clients with OCD, I decided to complete a year-long unpaid internship working in an intensive outpatient anxiety disorders program. Through these experiences, I became proficient in exposure-based therapy. I conducted my own research on how a modification of ERP could assist people with binge eating disorder, compulsive shopping, and kleptomania. Specializing in OCD as part of the NOCD team supports me in providing streamlined services to you.

My other areas of treatment focus include obsessive-compulsive-related disorders (body dysmorphic disorder, trichotillomania, excoriation disorder), anxiety disorders (specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder), major depressive disorder, eating disorders (binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After moving to California, I earned a second graduate degree in counseling with a specialization in marriage and family therapy. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and am comfortable working with adults, children, couples, and families.

Before you start NOCD Therapy, I'd like you to know you're not alone in your struggle. It's not easy to face one's fears; however, perseverance is important to receive lasting results. The techniques you learn may assist you with other areas of your life.

Most people fear discussing their most innermost thoughts with others. That's a very vulnerable situation. It's OK to tell me you don't feel comfortable discussing certain topics; I can wait until you're ready. My job isn't to judge you—I'm here to help you examine your thoughts from a functional, analytic perspective.