ERP THERAPY· PHILADELPHIA, PAERP Therapy in Philadelphia for OCD and Anxiety
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD, and a powerful tool for anxiety disorders too. Lilah Gosman, MS Ed, LPC, is extensively trained in ERP and offers in-person sessions in Center City, near Rittenhouse Square, and virtual sessions throughout Pennsylvania and NJ.
Lilah Gosman, MS Ed, LPC, is the founder of Philly Anxiety & OCD Therapy and provides specialized, evidence-based treatment for OCD, anxiety disorders, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She completed advanced training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) through the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), is an active member of the IOCDF, and serves on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where she helps train the next generation of mental health professionals. Lilah works with children, adolescents, and adults, offering in-person therapy in Center City Philadelphia near Rittenhouse Square, as well as virtual sessions throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
WHAT IS
Exposure & Response
Prevention (ERP) Therapy?
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and the gold standard treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). ERP helps you face the thoughts, situations, or sensations that trigger anxiety while resisting the urge to engage in compulsions or avoidance behaviors.
When we avoid or perform compulsions, OCD gets stronger. ERP helps break that cycle. Through gradual, support exposure, you learn that anxiety naturally rises and then falls on its own — and that you are capable of handling the discomfort without needing to “do something” to feel better.
ERP is collaborative and personalized. We build a plan together that matches your goals, your pace, and your life. The goal isn’t to eliminate all anxiety overnight — it’s to help you build confidence, flexibility, and long-term freedom from the patterns that have been holding you back.
Evidence-Based.
Proven. Lasting.
Decades of research show that ERP is the most effective treatment for OCD and one of the most effective approaches for many anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, specific phobias, social anxiety, and health anxiety.
You don’t have to keep avoiding what matters. ERP can help you take your life back, one step at a time.
How ERP therapy works
Every course of ERP is individualized, but sessions generally move through the same core stages.
Assessment
We talk through your obsessions, compulsions, and how they're affecting your life, at your pace.
Map fears
Together we map your fears from least to most distressing, so exposure work is gradual, not overwhelming.
Exposure
You're gently exposed to feared thoughts or situations, in and between sessions, at a pace you help set.
Resist
You practice resisting compulsions, breaking the cycle that keeps obsessions in control.
Lasting tools
We build skills, often alongside ACT, that help you manage OCD and anxiety long after therapy ends.
A compassionate, evidence-based approach
Lilah pairs ERP with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients not just reduce symptoms, but move toward a more values-driven, fulfilling life.
✔ Extensively trained in ERP
✔ In-person, Center City Philadelphia
✔ Virtual across Pennsylvania and NJ
✔ LGBTQIA welcoming
✔ Children, teens, and adults
OCD ERP Therapy
Common OCD themes ERP addresses
Contamination fears
Checking and reassurance-seeking
Symmetry, exactness, or "just right" feelings
Unwanted harm or intrusive thoughts
Relationship-focused obsessions
Religious or moral scrupulosity
ERP for Anxiety
Anxiety disorders treated with exposure therapy
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Social Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Specific phobias and agoraphobia
Health anxiety
PTSD, often with Prolonged Exposure (PE)
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the gold-standard treatment for OCD. Lilah Gosman, MS Ed, LPC, is extensively trained in ERP and offers in-person sessions in Center City Philadelphia, near Rittenhouse Square, as well as virtual sessions throughout Pennsylvania.
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Look for a therapist with specific training in ERP, not just general talk therapy experience, since ERP requires specialized clinical skills. Lilah Gosman is extensively trained in ERP and has helped clients throughout Philadelphia move out of the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.
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Yes. Philly Anxiety & OCD Therapy offers exposure therapy for OCD, anxiety disorders, phobias, and related conditions, both in-person at our Center City office and virtually for clients throughout Pennsylvania.
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ERP is considered the gold-standard treatment for OCD because it directly targets the cycle of obsessions and compulsions, gradually exposing you to feared thoughts or situations in a safe environment while teaching you to resist compulsions, rather than only talking about symptoms.
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Exposure therapy for OCD gradually and safely exposes you to the thoughts, images, or situations that trigger your obsessions, while teaching you to resist the urge to perform compulsions. Over time, this breaks the cycle of obsession and compulsion and reduces the distress those triggers cause.
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Yes. ERP and related exposure-based techniques, including Prolonged Exposure (PE), are also highly effective for anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, and specific phobias, not just OCD.
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Yes, OCD and anxiety do not exist in a vacuum and any issue or life stressor that comes up can be addressed in therapy with Lilah. I am a specialist but also treat the whole person/individual.
Common questions
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room. This page is for general, educational information about ERP and exposure therapy and is not a substitute for an individualized clinical assessment.
You don't have to keep living around your OCD or anxiety
Center City Philadelphia, near Rittenhouse Square · virtual sessions across Pennsylvania and NJ