Steven D. Tsao PhD

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of treating several hundred people with OCD and have enjoyed helping them break free from this debilitating, but treatable illness. At the Center for Anxiety & Behavior Therapy, we utilize Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, the most effective intervention to help people move towards recovery. We strive to evaluate each client’s struggle thoroughly enough to ensure that the most effective and efficient treatment plan is generated. For other anxiety disorders, we frequently use both exposure therapy and other cognitive-behavioral techniques including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy principles.

I often treat people with co-occurring OCD and eating disorders, including those who struggle to concurrently manage their OCD symptoms with varying degrees of disorder eating. I typically use exposure-based interventions that cut across both areas, while prioritizing those symptoms that are causing the most disruption in people’s lives. I frequently work as part of a treatment team that can include other therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and medical doctors.

I first began working with OCD in 2003 when I was mentored by a current member of the IOCDF Scientific Advisory Board. I have worked as a Staff Psychologist at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Clinic Director at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Clinical Director at Rogers Behavioral Health-Philadelphia, and Co-Founder at the Center for Anxiety & Behavior Therapy. Throughout my career, I have given numerous presentations and workshops on OCD at schools, treatment programs, regional and national conferences.