John Tzanos, PhD

More than half of my telehealth practice focuses on adults with OCD and related concerns. I treat harm, contamination, perfectionism, sexual orientation OCD, pedophilia-themed OCD (POCD), other taboo or intrusive thought themes, and health anxiety. I also treat BFRBs, including skin picking and hair pulling. For OCD, ERP is the foundation, supported by ACT and CBT. We build a clear plan and practice approaching feared thoughts, sensations, situations, and urges while reducing rituals, reassurance seeking, and avoidance. The aim is greater flexibility with uncertainty so OCD takes less time and no longer dictates how you live.

I commonly treat OCD alongside ADHD, anxiety disorders, depression, trauma-related conditions, BFRBs, and insomnia. Treatment begins with a shared formulation and agreed priorities. ERP addresses the OCD, and ACT supports psychological flexibility and values-based action. For ADHD, we add practical structure, environmental supports, and strategies for follow-through. CBT tools such as behavioral activation, problem-solving, and sleep and stress routines support mood, anxiety, and insomnia. Sessions include brief symptom measures, and we adjust the plan when progress stalls. Throughout, I distinguish accessibility supports that make ERP doable from accommodations that quietly reinforce compulsions or avoidance.

I am a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating adults with OCD and related disorders. My training includes advanced workshops in ERP, ACT, and CBT; BFRB-specific professional training through The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors; and ongoing OCD-focused consultation with other psychologists. I use ERP as the primary treatment for OCD and regularly update my clinical work through continuing education, peer consultation, and review of current research. Care is individualized and values-informed, with clear treatment targets and regular review of progress.

I work with adults from diverse cultural, racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds and across sexual orientations and gender identities, including immigrants and neurodivergent clients. I provide therapy in English and Greek. When relevant, we consider how culture, identity, language, family values, migration and acculturation, disability, and community context shape symptoms, help-seeking, and treatment goals. Religious and cultural context matters in OCD in particular, where scrupulosity, contamination, and taboo themes can be hard to separate from valued practice. I aim for a space where clients can raise these experiences directly, and I adapt communication and treatment planning accordingly.

My graduate training and continuing education have included culturally responsive assessment and treatment. I have worked with diverse populations in multiple settings. I approach this work with cultural humility: checking assumptions, asking how identity and context affect each client’s experience, inviting feedback when something lands wrong, and adapting evidence-based interventions while preserving their active ingredients. I am attentive to how language, migration, and acculturation shape the way distress is understood, expressed, and brought into treatment.