Anxiety, OCD, and Agoraphobia Treatment Edmonton
You Don't Have to Live in Fear. Recovery Is Possible.
Specialized treatment for anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Agoraphobia in Edmonton and online. CDMH clinicians have advanced training in OCD and anxiety, including ERP, ISTDP, and CBT.
Understanding Anxiety, OCD, and Agoraphobia
In general, Anxiety is a natural, future-oriented symptom characterized by tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like a racing heart. It’s the body’s built-in “fight-or-flight” response, designed to alert you to danger and prepare you to react. However, certain therapeutic frameworks (e.g., ISTDP) differentiate conscious and unconscious forms of anxiety, with unconscious anxiety understood as a “signal” that emotional content is activated and trying to emerge in the conscious mind.
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) involves recurring, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental acts performed to reduce distress (compulsions). Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder involving intense fear and avoidance of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable — such as crowds, public transport, or open spaces. All three conditions are treatable with the right, specialized care.
Common Signs of Anxiety, OCD, and Agoraphobia
Excessive and persistent worry that is difficult to control
Intrusive, unwanted, or disturbing thoughts
Compulsive rituals or repetitive behaviours to relieve anxiety
Avoidance of situations that trigger fear or distress
Panic attacks — sudden, intense episodes of fear with physical symptoms
Physical symptoms: racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest tightness
Fear of leaving home, being in crowds, or using public transport (agoraphobia)
Significant interference with daily functioning, work, or relationships
Anxiety, OCD, and Agoraphobia Treatment Near Me Edmonton
Evidence-Based Treatment at CDMH
CDMH clinicians are specially trained in the treatment of anxiety disorders and OCD. Treatment is tailored to your specific presentation — addressing both the symptoms and the underlying emotional issues driving them.
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
Targets problematic symptoms (such as anxiety, OCD, and agoraphobia) via examining conflicts around emotional closeness and intimacy and unhelpful ways of managing related emotions. For example, repetitive behaviours seen in OCD could be understood as a defence, distracting an individual from accessing and processing their core feelings present and/or as a way to get rid of energy related to unconscious anxiety covering core feelings. As more helpful ways of coping with emotions are developed, individuals can experience a freedom to enjoy greater emotional closeness in relationships (both relating to the self and others).
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
The gold-standard treatment for OCD, ERP involves exposing individuals to triggers for OCD-related symptoms and collaboratively resisting engaging in the behaviours that typically manifest (i.e., compulsions). Over time, the strength and frequency of symptoms decreases. Similarly, for anxiety and agoraphobia, exposure therapy involves gradually and repeatedly approaching feared situations in order to build confidence in tolerating anxiety and uncertainty and participating more freely in important areas of life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Involves identifying and changing anxiety-maintaining thought patterns. This includes understanding how patterns of thinking keep anxiety going over time and developing more balanced ways of responding to anxious thoughts while gradually approaching feared situations rather than avoiding them.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps people change their relationship to anxiety or unwanted thoughts rather than focusing on trying to eliminate or get rid of these experiences. ACT aims to increase psychological flexibility through acceptance, mindfulness, learning to step back from anxious thoughts rather than getting caught up in them, and taking values-based action. It involves making room for some discomfort while continuing to pursue meaningful activities and what matters most.
EMDR
When anxious symptoms are anchored in specific memories, early experiences, negative beliefs about oneself, or a traumatic event, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (guided side to side eye movements) to reprocess material that has remained ‘stuck’, reducing symptoms and creating a sense of safety.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Teaching and equipping individuals with mindfulness skills to notice triggers and symptoms, tolerate the discomfort of symptoms and urges, use strategies to regulate anxiety-based emotions, and build interpersonal effectiveness skills, especially for those with social anxiety. These skills are presented in group-based treatment and further refined in individual counselling for each client’s specific goals and targets. Group modules allow a space for individuals to build awareness, offer different perspectives, and practise the skills together in the relevant contexts in their lives. With symptoms of anxiety, mindfulness helps clients to start to notice and become aware of how anxiety presents in their body and their experience, while distress tolerance can recognize when their anxiety may present outside of their wise mind. Emotion regulation allows clients to properly name and tame their emotions, identify emotions that may be underneath their anxiety, and provides them the skills to solve the problems these emotions may bring up and to cope ahead for future upsetting situations, while interpersonal effectiveness assists clients in communicating their needs and wants to others in their lives.
Why Patients in Edmonton Choose CDMH
Evidence-based care, focused on depth and resolution, not symptom management
Team of 9 skilled clinicians with diverse, specialized training
Flagship ISTDP approach with proven outcomes for complex conditions
Interdisciplinary collaboration: clinicians consult and communicate
In-person (Edmonton) and virtual options across Alberta
Founded by an Edmonton Top 40 Under 40 (2025) Registered Psychologist
Fees guided by the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA) schedule
Anxiety and OCD Treatment Near Me Edmonton
CDMH Clinicians Have Advanced OCD and Anxiety Training
Book a free 15-minute phone consultation to speak with one of our helpful clinicians today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between anxiety and OCD?
Anxiety involves excessive worry, fear, or dread about perceived threats. OCD is characterized by specific intrusive thoughts (obsessions) paired with compulsive rituals performed to reduce distress. While symptoms of anxiety and OCD overlap, OCD has a distinctive pattern requiring specific treatment (e.g. ERP) that differs from general anxiety treatment.
Is OCD treatable? What is ERP?
Yes, OCD is highly treatable with the right approach. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the evidence-based, gold-standard treatment for OCD. It involves gradually and systematically confronting feared situations or thoughts (exposure) while resisting compulsive responses (response prevention), helping the brain learn that the feared outcome does not occur and that distress is tolerable.
What is agoraphobia and how is it treated?
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder involving intense fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable. It often develops following panic attacks. Treatment involves gradual exposure to feared situations, alongside CBT, ISTDP, or other evidence-based approaches to address both the panic and the avoidance.
How long does anxiety treatment at CDMH typically take?
Treatment length depends on the severity and type of anxiety, as well as individual factors. Some presentations respond well to briefer, intensive treatment (such as ISTDP). Others, particularly complex or long-standing OCD, may require longer work. Your clinician will discuss a realistic timeline at your intake.
Does CDMH treat social anxiety?
Yes. Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common presentations treated at CDMH. We address the emotional and cognitive patterns underlying social fear through ISTDP, CBT, and other exposure-based approaches.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms?
Absolutely. Anxiety frequently manifests through physical symptoms including rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, shortness of breath, stomach upset, headaches, and muscle tension. These are real physical experiences driven by the nervous system’s threat response, not imagined symptoms.