Specialized Anxiety Treatment for Adults, Adolescents, and Children
Who We Are
We are a group of compassionate PhD trained clinicians who understand how difficult it can be to live with OCD and anxiety-related disorders. We specialize in diagnosing and treating these disorders and are experts in the field.
What We Specialize In
The treatment team delivers individualized evidence-based treatment for individuals struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, phobias, and depression.
What Treatments We Use
The treatment team specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP), which is considered to be the gold standard for the treatment of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders. We also utilize other effective treatment interventions, such as mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Additionally, in the Fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024, our entire treatment team was also trained in using the treatment techniques used in delivering Bergen 4 Day Treatment format.
Where We Are
We are located in the heart of Los Angeles in Santa Monica, California, right off of Ocean Park Boulevard, a bustling exciting environment that is near shops, restaurants, and the ocean. This offers terrific opportunities to enhance the treatment and complete exposures in the community during the treatment day.
Bergen 4 Day Treatment
now offered in Los Angeles
We are very excited to announce that we will be offering the effective and concentrated Bergen 4 Day Treatment (B4DT) beginning in January 2024. This exciting project, led by the programs directors Thröstur Björgvinsson, PhD, ABPP and Naomi Zwecker, PhD, is in collaboration with Bjarne Hansen, PhD, one of the creators of the B4DT and director of Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, and its co-director Kristen Hansen, PhD.
Furthermore, with generous support from the Bergen based Kavli Trust, OCD therapists from all over the world will receive training to become certified as B4DT therapists. The Los Angeles program will function as the national and international B4DT training center. Teams, based in these cities, have signed up for training in Los Angeles: Quito, Ecuador; Nairobi, Kenya; Melbourne, Australia. This is in addition to existing B4DT teams in Singapore, Sweden, Germany, Finland, and Iceland.
Additionally, beginning in the spring of 2024 workshops about B4DT and other innovative approaches will be offered, through the LA program, to interested therapists (nationally and globally) to attend.
Please visit socalocdprogram.org or call 310 488 5850 for more information about how to apply to receive the B4DT in Los Angeles and what else is offered.
Disorders We Treat
We specialize in the treatment of the following psychological disorders. Our goal is to use aspects of treatments with proven results to reduce or eliminate symptoms that are interfering with relationships, school or work. Our work with you is to do what we can so that you regain control of your life.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Specific Phobias (including but not limited to emetophobia, clausterphobia, and fear of driving)
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
We also specialize in treating other related conditions including:
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Trichotillomania & Skin Picking
We additionally treat disorders that are similar to OCD because they involve repetitive behaviors that function to reduce anxiety or tension, much like rituals in OCD. These include:
In addition, we treat co-occurring depression, as individuals who struggle with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive related disorders also often have significant depressive symptoms.
Latest News & Events
We are thrilled to announce that our program recently hosted its first Bergen 4-Day Treatment (B4DT) group for OCD with Dr. Bjarne Hansen, co-founder of the evidence-based, concentrated treatment method. Patients came from across the world, including Australia, Germany, and Switzerland, and from across the United States— as far as Florida, and as nearby as … The Bergen 4-Day OCD Treatment group was completed in Los Angeles on April 2nd
Drs. Thröstur Björgvinsson & Bjarne Hansen will be presenting a State-of-the-Art Clinician Session in April at the 2024 Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Annual Conference in Boston, MA
The international dissemination effort to make the Bergen 4-Day Treatment available in all continents by the end of 2024 is being made possible
A team of Bergen 4-Day Treatment experts visited Quito, Ecuador in July, 2023 to prepare a team of therapists for training in Los Angeles in Spring of 2024
Clients Testimonials
I’m a doctor and I have suffered from OCD since I was a kid. Four days with the OCD team in 2014 changed my life. Since then I have been able to complete my training as a cardiologist, and I have followed their research and been part of their Scientific Advisory Board. All I can say is: If you suffer from OCD and get the opportunity be a part of the Bergen 4-day treatment: Take it!
Erik Olsen | Former Bergen 4-Day Treatment Patient
Bergen 4 Day Treatment Featured By
