Robert Lyons PhD

I offer specialized individual evidence-based therapy for OCD, anxiety, and PTSD virtually to adults living in California. I primarily deliver Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD. ERP has decades of treatment research supporting its effectiveness in the treatment of OCD. My style is collaborative, warm and direct. My greatest joy in treating OCD is to personalize ERP skills to your unique experiences of obsessions and compulsions for maximum treatment benefit. We will work together to establish and meet treatment goals that reduce your experience of distress while promoting deeper meaning and value in your life.

I commonly treat co-occurring PTSD, substance use disorders, and depression. If you have a co-occurring condition, we will work together to understand how your symptoms of OCD might influence co-occurring conditions. For issues like depression, treating your OCD oftentimes leads to improvements in both OCD and depressive symptoms. In the case of co-occurring PTSD or substance use disorders we will likely take an integrated approach, addressing OCD and co-occurring issues simultaneously. I have extensive training and experience in delivering Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, and CBT for Substance Use Disorders and Relapse Prevention for substance use disorders.

I received my PhD from the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology where I researched treatments for co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorders. I completed my pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego/VA San Diego, receiving two years of clinical supervision in Exposure and Response Prevention for the treatment of OCD. I also attended a four-day intensive workshop in Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy for OCD delivered by Cognitive Behavior Institute Center for Education. My training and experiences provide me with the background necessary to offer the most effective therapy for OCD.

Cultural competence was an important aspect that was regularly emphasized in each year of my pre- and postdoctoral training. I welcome individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, gender identity, and sexual orientation backgrounds. I worked in both research and clinical settings at VA San Diego for the duration of my graduate training. As a result, I have considerable experience working with veterans.