Jess Coleman, PhD

I offer virtual therapy services to adults in more than 40 US states and use modalities including Exposure Response Prevention for OCD, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, mindfulness, and self-compassion approaches. Approximately 75% of the clients in my practice present with OCD and/or related disorders such as anxiety and traumatic stress; I primarily use evidence-based exposure interventions across all of these presenting concerns. I am able to offer OCD treatment multiple days per week or weekly depending on the client’s needs and availability. I am committed to providing high quality, personalized care to all of my clients.

OCD may co-occur with several different disorders or presenting concerns. I collaborate with my clients to determine priorities, and make a plan to treat the comorbid concerns consecutively or concurrently, where appropriate. If OCD is the primary concern, I offer Exposure and Response Prevention to treat OCD symptoms. I also integrate approaches from with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Habit Reversal Training to address the concerns and goals unique to each client. Therapy focuses on reducing compulsive patterns, increasing flexibility in relating to one’s thoughts and emotions, and creating greater capacity to live in alignment with one’s values.

My clinical focus on OCD began during residency in 2022 and continued through postdoctoral training and my private practice. I completed three years of training and supervision in OCD treatment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In my PhD training at Duke University, I specialized in cognitive-behavioral therapies for adults with disorders that commonly co-occur with OCD, including anxiety and traumatic stress disorders. I regularly treat adults with OCD using ERP and ACT approaches, and am passionate about engaging in ongoing education and professional development.

I work with clients from diverse backgrounds and strive to provide care that is culturally conscious, culturally-affirming, and non-pathologizing. We live within social, political, and medical systems that can cause or worsen mental health concerns. I view responses to unsafe and unhelpful contexts as human reactions instead of flaws. Everyone is welcome in my practice, and I routinely provide care to LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC clients. I value learning about each client’s cultural context to understand how to personalize treatment in order to be most effective. I am passionate about reducing OCD-related stigma among underserved communities.

My clinical training took place in Durham, NC, where I worked with highly diverse clients across several clinics. I learned to personalize treatment to each client’s values, beliefs, and preferences. I sought out DEI training, engaged in multicultural consultation teams at Duke, and created a peer-led multicultural consultation team for PhD students. My training utilized feminist and multicultural frameworks, and my clinical research focused on developing programs to promote health equity for minoritized and underserved populations. I complete continuing education each year to ensure I am providing high quality care that is aligned with my clients’ values and cultural context.