OCD Therapy in London: Expert Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

You’re exhausted. Intrusive thoughts hijack your day. Rituals that were meant to bring relief now control your life, and you’re wondering whether anyone actually understands what it’s like being trapped inside your own head.

If you’re searching for OCD therapy in London, you’ve found a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist who treats Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder using evidence-based approaches. Mark Shiels offers both face-to-face sessions in Central London (Covent Garden) and online therapy throughout the UK. No GP referral needed, no waiting lists.

Let’s talk about getting you proper support.

Understanding OCD Beyond “Just Being Tidy”

What OCD Actually Feels Like

OCD isn’t colour-coded bookshelves. It’s intrusive thoughts that ambush you at 3am, during meetings, whilst you’re trying to talk to someone you love. Thoughts so disturbing you can’t tell anyone, because surely thinking them makes you dangerous or mad.

Then the compulsions arrive. Checking, washing, counting, confessing, seeking reassurance. Behaviours bringing maybe ten seconds of relief before doubt crashes back. You know the rituals don’t make sense—that’s the maddening part. Your logical brain screams at you to stop whilst your OCD brain insists catastrophe awaits if you don’t check one more time.

Research suggests OCD affects roughly 1-2% of the UK population, though statistics don’t capture the exhaustion of living with it. The shame of hiding rituals from colleagues. Relationships strained by constant reassurance-seeking. Hours lost to checking, washing, researching, trying to achieve certainty about things that can never be certain.

Common OCD Presentations

Contamination fears. Your hands are raw from washing, but the fear of germs overrides the pain. Every surface feels potentially contaminated. Every touch requires decontamination.

Harm obsessions. Intrusive thoughts about hurting yourself or others—thoughts so horrifying you’re convinced they mean something about who you are. These thoughts are symptoms of OCD, not desires or intentions.

Checking compulsions. Did you lock the door? Turn off the oven? The doubt loops endlessly, demanding you go back and verify again.

Pure O (primarily obsessional). Intrusive thoughts without obvious external rituals, but plenty of mental compulsions—reviewing, analysing, seeking certainty through rumination.

Relationship OCD. Obsessive doubts about whether you love your partner, whether they’re “the one,” whether you should leave.

The specific form your OCD takes matters less than this: the cycle is the same. Intrusive thought → anxiety spike → compulsion for relief → brief calm → doubt returns stronger.

Evidence-Based Approaches Used in OCD Treatment London

The practice uses evidence-based therapeutic approaches for treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, tailored to what research shows works for OCD specifically.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT for anxiety disorders is recommended by NICE guidelines as first-line treatment. The approach helps you identify catastrophic thinking patterns and develop new responses.

For OCD specifically, treatment focuses on understanding the obsession-compulsion cycle and building tolerance for uncertainty. Your brain demands 100% certainty about things that can never be certain. Therapy helps you function without needing that impossible certainty.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT offers a different angle. Instead of battling intrusive thoughts, you learn to acknowledge them without letting them control your behaviour. Particularly useful if you’ve been stuck in avoidance cycles or found yourself in exhausting intellectual arguments with your OCD.

The goal isn’t eliminating intrusive thoughts—that rarely works anyway. It’s drastically reducing how much they dictate your actions.

Integrative Psychotherapy Approach

Mark Shiels trained at the Karuna Institute in Core Process Psychotherapy, combining Buddhist psychology with evidence-based Western approaches. This isn’t religious therapy—you don’t need any particular spiritual beliefs.

What this integrative approach offers is understanding that you’re not your thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are mental phenomena arising and passing, not fundamental truths about who you are. For people with disturbing intrusive thoughts, this perspective can be profoundly relieving.

The practice draws from multiple therapeutic traditions based on what you need—cognitive techniques, mindfulness practices for distress tolerance, psychodynamic exploration where appropriate. Tailored rather than rigid protocol-driven.

What You Can Expect From OCD Counselling London

Walking into therapy takes courage, especially when OCD might be listing all the ways this could go wrong.

The initial session explores your specific experience. What forms do your intrusive thoughts take? Which compulsions have developed? How is OCD interfering with work, relationships, daily life?

You’ll discuss goals collaboratively. Perhaps you want to stop washing your hands 40 times daily. Maybe you want to use public transport without panic. Maybe you just want one evening free from checking rituals.

Mark’s approach is non-judgmental and trauma-informed. The violent obsessions, sexual intrusive thoughts, contamination fears—none of it shocks him, and none of it means what you fear it means.

Session Structure

Sessions typically run 50 minutes. The format varies based on where you are in the process and what’s most helpful. Sometimes it’s exploring patterns. Sometimes it’s working on specific strategies. Sometimes it’s processing the emotional weight of living with OCD—the shame, exhaustion, grief for time lost.

Both face-to-face sessions at the Central London practice and online therapy via secure video platforms are available. Your choice based on what works for your circumstances.

Realistic Timeline Expectations

The practice won’t promise quick fixes or “cures” in eight sessions. That would be dishonest. OCD is persistent, and meaningful change takes time.

Most people notice some shifts within the first few months of consistent work—perhaps compulsions take less time, or anxiety after intrusive thoughts doesn’t spike quite as high. Long-term recovery means learning to function without needing absolute certainty.

Recovery doesn’t mean never having intrusive thoughts again. It means those thoughts no longer control your behaviour.

Why Choose This Practice for OCD Treatment

Professional Credentials

Mark Shiels is a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist with Master’s in Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin. His training at the Karuna Institute—the only fully UKCP-accredited Buddhist psychology programme in Western Europe—combined contemplative practices with clinical rigour.

UKCP registration means meeting rigorous training standards and maintaining ongoing professional development. You can verify registration through the UKCP website.

Therapeutic Approach

The practice takes an integrative rather than dogmatic stance. Different approaches work for different people. What works for someone with checking compulsions might not suit someone with pure O.

The Buddhist psychology influence brings a non-pathologising perspective. Your OCD doesn’t mean you’re broken. You’re experiencing suffering, and there are skillful ways to work with that suffering.

The practice is trauma-informed (relevant because OCD sometimes develops after traumatic experiences or intertwines with PTSD), culturally sensitive, and LGBTQ+ affirming. Your identity and experiences are respected.

Central London Location

The practice operates from 8 Hop Gardens, St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4EH—accessible via Leicester Square and Covent Garden stations. Discrete, professional setting in the heart of London.

Online therapy is also available throughout the UK for those who prefer remote sessions or live outside London.

Who This OCD Therapist in London Can Help

This practice works with adults struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. You might be a working professional trying to manage OCD alongside demanding career responsibilities. Perhaps you’ve been on NHS waiting lists and can’t wait months for treatment. Maybe you’re seeking an approach beyond symptom checklists.

If you’re London-based and want face-to-face sessions, the Central London location works well. If you’re anywhere in the UK and prefer online therapy, that’s equally effective.

Perhaps you’ve tried therapy before without success. Maybe this is your first time seeking help and you’re frightened. Maybe you’re not even sure if what you’re experiencing is OCD. All valid starting points.

Some situations may require different support initially. Active substance misuse typically needs addressing first through addiction counselling. Symptoms so severe you’re unable to function might need more intensive treatment programmes before individual therapy.

Living with OCD in London

London life brings particular pressures that can exacerbate OCD. Contamination fears on crowded tubes. Work performance anxiety when rituals make you late. Financial stress from needing private therapy because NHS waiting times stretch for months.

Perhaps your flatmates don’t understand the rituals. Your partner is exhausted from providing reassurance. You’re spending hours online researching symptoms, trying to achieve certainty about whether you’re “really” having intrusive thoughts or whether they mean something darker.

Shame and isolation compound symptoms. OCD convinces you that you’re uniquely disturbed, that your specific intrusive thoughts are somehow worse than everyone else’s, that nobody could possibly understand.

You’re not broken. You’re struggling with something difficult, and you deserve support.

Booking Your First Appointment

No GP referral required. You can contact the practice directly to arrange an initial consultation.

Phone: 07973 890 164 or 020 7209 3224
Email: mark@buddhistpsychotherapy.org.uk
Location: 8 Hop Gardens, St Martins Lane, London WC2N 4EH

The practice typically responds within 24-48 hours. After initial contact, you’ll schedule a first session to share what’s bringing you to therapy and understand how Mark works. No commitment beyond that first conversation.

Practical Details

Standard sessions run 50-60 minutes. Face-to-face sessions happen at the Covent Garden practice. Online sessions use secure video platforms—many people prefer the privacy of being in their own space.

Scheduling can accommodate working professionals. Early morning, lunchtime, or evening appointments may be possible.

Investment in Your Wellbeing

Therapy represents an investment in your capacity to live without OCD running your life. Private therapy in London isn’t inexpensive, but consider the cost of unaddressed OCD—lost time, strained relationships, missed opportunities, sheer misery.

Some private health insurance policies cover psychological therapy. Check your policy’s mental health provisions—providers like Bupa, Aviva, or VitalityHealth sometimes include coverage.

Confidentiality Standards

Everything you share is confidential under GDPR regulations and professional ethical guidelines. No information goes to your GP unless you specifically request it. Discrete billing. Professional boundaries maintained.

Exceptions to confidentiality involve only immediate risk of serious harm—rare situations discussed openly if they arise.

This is your safe space. The disturbing intrusive thoughts, embarrassing rituals, shame you’ve been carrying—all can be spoken without judgment.

Frequently Asked Questions About OCD Treatment in London

How long does OCD therapy take?

Individual variation is significant. Some people notice improvements within a few months of consistent work. Others benefit from longer-term support, particularly if OCD intertwines with depression or other conditions.

The practice focuses on long-term recovery rather than quick fixes. Recovery means learning to manage symptoms sustainably, not achieving perfection in eight sessions.

Can OCD be treated without medication?

Therapy can be effective as standalone treatment for many people. Some find medication helpful alongside therapy—SSRIs can reduce symptom intensity whilst therapy addresses patterns.

Mark doesn’t prescribe medication (he’s a psychotherapist, not a psychiatrist). If you’re already taking medication through your GP, therapy works alongside that. If you’re considering medication, he can support that decision whilst continuing therapy.

What if I can’t stop my compulsions?

That’s precisely why you need support. Therapy doesn’t require you to be “ready” to give up rituals before starting. You begin where you are—even if that’s in the thick of compulsions that feel impossible to resist.

The process is gradual, not cold turkey. Building your capacity slowly, in collaboration. Resistance to giving up compulsions is completely normal—those rituals have been keeping anxiety at bay. Working with that fear, not against it.

Can I do therapy online or must it be face-to-face?

Both work effectively for OCD treatment. Online therapy offers convenience—no commuting, privacy of your own space, flexibility. Face-to-face provides in-person connection.

Your choice depends entirely on preference and circumstances. Some people start one way and switch later. The therapeutic work is equivalent regardless of format.

What makes this different from general anxiety therapy?

OCD requires specific understanding of the obsession-compulsion cycle. General anxiety therapy often focuses on reducing worry. OCD treatment focuses on changing your relationship with uncertainty and breaking compulsion responses.

Treatment addresses both the intrusive thoughts and the compulsive behaviours that maintain the disorder. You’re learning to tolerate discomfort without performing rituals in response.

Taking the First Step Towards Recovery

You’ve read this far, which suggests part of you is ready for change. Perhaps you’re still ambivalent. Perhaps your OCD is listing reasons therapy won’t work, or telling you you’re not “sick enough” to deserve help.

If your obsessions and compulsions are interfering with your life—whether that’s two hours lost daily or ten, whether affecting work or relationships or just making you miserable—you deserve support.

The first step is just a conversation. No pressure, no commitment. You’ll discuss what’s happening, whether this approach might help, what working together would look like. If it doesn’t feel like the right fit, that’s useful information too.

Recovery is possible. Right now you won’t believe that—OCD has convinced you this is permanent. But people do recover. Intrusive thoughts lose their power. Compulsions reduce. You reclaim hours, energy for relationships, mental space for things beyond rituals.

It requires consistent effort, patience with setbacks, willingness to sit with discomfort. But you’ve already been doing hard things—living with OCD is exhausting. Imagine redirecting that energy toward recovery instead of toward compulsions.

Contact Mark Shiels today: