Shala Nicely, LPC OCD Treatment with ERP Therapy
Shala Nicely, LPC OCD Treatment with ERP Therapy
Struggling to find the right help for OCD? You’re not alone.
Many of us with OCD do exactly what we’re told. We seek out therapy. We try to follow recommendations. We put in real effort, often for a long time.
And yet, sometimes OCD still ends up running the show.
When that happens, you might start to blame yourself, wondering if you’re doing something wrong, you’re “too complicated,” or help isn’t going to work for you.
But the truth is that OCD is widely misunderstood, even in professional settings.
And when the care you receive doesn’t quite fit what you’re dealing with day to day, it can leave you feeling unseen, discouraged, and very much on your own.
You’ve been doing your best and still wondering why this feels so hard.
You’ve spent years managing everyday life, often while carrying a heavy mental load of rumination, checking, second-guessing, and “What if?” loops that never quite turn off.
Along the way, you may have spent time in therapy trying to figure things out, turned to self-help resources, or even tried to do some ERP therapy for OCD. And still, the symptoms did not fully ease, or progress felt inconsistent and fragile.
And it's frustrating because you weren't sure why.
Even when you look fine on the outside, over time this can leave you feeling exhausted, ashamed, or stuck on the inside.
If this sounds familiar, it happens to many people with OCD, and it isn’t because you have failed or missed something obvious.
What often gets missed in OCD recovery
I'm Shala Nicely, and I've been in your shoes.
There were points in my own OCD recovery when I couldn’t understand why my progress stalled or even slid backward. I was doing ERP. I was facing my fears. Yet it often felt like two steps forward, one step back.
Over time, I realized I was still doing compulsions, just not the obvious ones.
They showed up as things that felt reasonable or even responsible, like closely monitoring my anxiety, having “important” conversations with myself, or living as if OCD’s dire predictions were already true.
Once I recognized these patterns for what they were, everything shifted. And I began noticing the same patterns in the people I worked with.
Many people with OCD don’t get stuck because they’re doing ERP “wrong” or not trying hard enough. They get stuck because they’re caught in invisible compulsions—mental, emotional, and behavioral—they don’t realize are compulsions at all.
That insight became the heart of my work, whether I’m writing, teaching, or doing therapy with clients.
I help people identify and dismantle the hidden compulsive traps that keep OCD in control
What it's like to step into this work
Most people arrive here wanting the same thing: to build a life that feels meaningful again, not one constantly organized around OCD.
Whether through my writing, my teaching, or therapy, the focus is always the same. We look at what’s getting in the way of the life you want to live:
- The thoughts you're stuck on
- The stance that’s holding you back
- The rituals that don’t look like rituals
- The places where OCD hides inside responsibility, caring, or self-protection
We take what you’re already living with, including the rumination, the doubt, the self-monitoring, the guilt, and make sense of it together.
Over time, patterns that once felt confusing begin to come into focus. ERP starts to feel less like something you have to force yourself through and more like a supportive practice that helps you reclaim your life
What you can expect when you’re here
You’re not alone
OCD is emotionally demanding. Feeling seen and understood is foundational here, along with learning to treat yourself with compassion.
You’re empowered to move toward the life you want
ERP becomes a way to respond to OCD more skillfully, including the subtle patterns that quietly keep it in charge.
You’re aiming for joy, not perfection
Recovery isn’t linear, and being human isn’t a failure. There’s room for meaning, connection, and joy even while uncertainty is still present.
What it looks like to live ERP in real life
Some of my favorite things turn out to be great exposures
Bonjour! Oui, I speak very imperfect French, because I only get better if I’m willing to make mistakes.
I love The Great British Baking Show, even though I’m a bit of a disaster in the kitchen.
Everyone knows I have pets because their fur never leaves my clothes, no matter how much we clean.
To me, imperfection isn’t a flaw — it’s a sign that I’m engaged with life. And it’s the same stance I bring to helping people with ERP for OCD: you don’t have to do this perfectly to move forward.
