Welcome to the OCD Clinic Brisbane - Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Dr Emily O'Leary

Welcome to the OCD Clinic Brisbane


Clients	Parents	Professionals

The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Clinic (OCDC) is a specialist psychology practice that provides evidence-based treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and spectrum disorders. OCD is a hidden disorder with many people suffering in silence due to embarrassment of the symptoms. Our philosophy is to empower clients to see OCD thoughts as just thoughts with no greater purpose or meaning. The second motivation for the clinic is to provide a place for people to come and discuss symptoms of OCD that are sometimes overlooked because of the sensitive nature of the thoughts (e.g aggressive obsessions).

Dr O'Leary works with adults, adolescence and children with OCD (aged 3 - 80 years). The clinic has a strong family focus and loved ones are an important part of treatment. Our clinic offers face to face treatment with Dr O'Leary by appointment as well as remote consult services. Our website contains valuable information about OCD with links to a number of resources that can assist you in understanding and dealing with OCD. We suggest you read through some of our clients stories about how we have helped them live with OCD too.

If you would like to make an appointment at our clinic, please read the instructions for new patients and then contact us..

“It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.” - Albert Einstein.

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33 Year old Female »“Growing up I have always felt that I was different from the other children. What would seem like a simple task, would take me twice as long to complete. Homework was a painful process which would see me repeatedly tear up the pages and start again because it wasn’t done perfectly. Having to have things “Just Right” was extremely frustrating and futile as my efforts never seemed good enough for me. The extreme standards I set up for myself would reduce me to tears most nights. Picture frames in our family home were analysed and straightened constantly and everything in my bedroom had to be ‘perfect’ and in symmetry. I believed that in order for a ‘perfect’ and happy life, everything in my world had to be just that, ‘Perfect’. As I grew older, my obsessions evolved to centre on things that I thought were significant at the time, my appearance, the need to fit in, to do well at school, being the perfect daughter and finding the perfect partner. Looking back, my perfection obsession totally hindered me from advancing in life and truly robbed me of living a fulfilling and meaningful life. The next several years saw me live life from one day to another without any passion or purpose. If things happened, then I would just go along with it. I was afraid to make executive decisions for fear of being judged and used it as justification that if I didn’t have anything worthy to contribute, then it didn’t count towards my ‘Fail’ tally. That’s because if my opinion wasn’t outstanding, then it didn’t count. I existed under the radar. I never sought help during these years for fear of being labelled and coming from an ethnic background, Mental Health was taboo. The positive aspects that came out of this saw me eventually marrying and starting a family. However, the obsessions came back and this time with a vengeance. They had a darker tone and were more powerful and malevolent than previous obsessions. It seemed that when OCD saw that I was happy, it loved to sabotage the moment. It ate me up and rocked me to the core of my existence. It robbed me of precious moments with my family and isolated me from them in fear that I would hurt them. It got to the point where I couldn’t get out of bed in the mornings and couldn’t function at work as the anxiety invaded my whole being. I finally plucked the courage to seek help when my young son said something that struck my cord, “Mummy, don’t you love me anymore?” I just burst in to tears. That was when I made the call for help with Dr Emily O’Leary. I willingly went to my first session desperate for help and enlightenment on what was happening to me. Shaking with anxiety and fear of being locked up for having these outrageous thoughts, I poured my heart out to Dr Emily. I was so sick of the terror and just wanted some answers. She made me feel at ease straight away with her compassion and non judgemental approach to therapy. The ambience was one of total trust and understanding. Finally I could tell someone my ‘crazy’ thoughts without being criticised and judged. It was like a cloudy veil had been lifted and Dr O’Leary definitely shed light on all the ‘craziness’. She gave me the tools and strategies to handle the anxiety that had consumed me for most of my life. For once in my life I feel like I have beat this beast called OCD or at least be able to boss it back when I feel a spike coming on. I am more resilient and it doesn’t bother me as much because I know it doesn’t define me as a person. My gratitude will always be with Dr Emily O’Leary.” Thursday, 26 May 2011 08:13

32 year old female »Finding a therapist you trust and feel comfortable with is extremely difficult. I have sought help from several therapists for my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). At the outset, each therapist claimed they would be able to help – over time, their limitations treating OCD became apparent and my sessions became monotonous and a waste of time. Each therapist knew what OCD was but unfortunately for me they did not know how to treat the disorder. My partner suggested I see a new therapist specialising in the treatment of OCD, Dr Emily O’Leary.From my first appointment with Dr O’Leary I knew my treatment would be different for two reasons: (1) I immediately felt comfortable and trusted her; (2) the amount of knowledge and compassion Dr O’Leary showed me I had not experienced before. Dr O’Leary is a supportive and caring therapist and her knowledge and enthusiasm for treating her patients with OCD is very comforting and encouraging. Each therapy session I participate in I know is going to help change my life for the better. I can’t thank Dr O’Leary enough for not giving up on me and showing me what life is going to be like without OCD. Wednesday, 18 May 2011 05:47

Parent of child with OCD »When my child began to release details of alarming, compulsive thoughts she was having, I was staggered. I had no idea she’d hidden a mountain of these worries for about 5 years. Even though I would regard myself as a perceptive and attentive mother, I had not seen nor heard any clues. I had no depth of knowledge about OCD, believing it to be centred around handwashing. As my child gradually opened up about her disturbing thoughts, I knew we urgently needed help. Our GP was willing to provide a referral but couldn’t think of anyone specializing in this area. She suggested I phone around and speak with psychologists in Melbourne to find someone I felt who could best help us. Alone, I began to wade down a most harrowing road. I can’t remember now how many receptionists and psychologists I spoke with and disclosed the harrowing details of my child’s thoughts to. Perhaps 40. It might have been 50. Many were compassionate and wished they could help but only worked with teenagers who had OCD, and not Primary School children. For 3 months I felt absolute despair. Because of the sort of obsession my child had, I couldn’t share it with any friend or family member for fear of judgment. I changed GP’s and still I could not be given the name of a psychologist who could help me in this specific field. Finally, I found a psychologist who had newsletter with details of a children’s OCD specialist in Brisbane. When I made the initial phone call and found there was someone in the world who’d worked with children who understood my child’s thoughts I wept in relief. I took the first appointment and a flight to Brisbane where we met Emily. At the end of 2 weeks of intensive sessions, my words to Emily were: ‘With all my heart I thank you. I can’t imagine how life would have unfolded without your brilliant guidance. The great grief I’d felt over feeling I’d lost my darling child to a dark place has evaporated. I can’t thank you enough for all your support, care, knowledge, wisdom patience and humour. Separating OCD from her has brought her back to me in an even more deeply loving way.’ Monday, 21 March 2011 00:24

35 year old female »OCD is an isolating anxiety disorder. Before I started therapy for my OCD the worst thing I could imagine, besides my OCD themes was someone knowing what I thought. My entire life I have been having thoughts “what if I did something terrible to hurt someone” making me this awful person. This base thought has seen many incarnations of OCD. Finally being able to talk about my thoughts has enabled me to feel hopeful and positive about my future and it has given me a sense of freedom I never imagined I could experience in my darkest days. Therapy has provided me with the knowledge about OCD and a set of tools to use to deal with the impact of anxiety. Emily is someone who specialises in OCD and I feel comfortable telling her my absurd thoughts. Monday, 21 March 2011 00:21

Parent of 2 children with OCD »Two of my children have been seeing Emily for the past 2 years. Aside from providing direct counseling to the children and initiating strategies to assist them, she has been incredibly supportive and encouraging to the family in general. The individual work she has done with the children has been a great success in assisting them to deal with their situations. The one on one time has spent with me during their sessions has not only ensured that the most consistent approach for the children is achieved, but I have felt personal support, encouragement and reassurance from her. I have always been aware of and appreciated the complete confidentiality within theses sessions which allows me to discuss any issues with her which has lead to a great openness to be able to effectively assist with the children's needs Monday, 21 March 2011 00:20

Parent of 12 year old girl »My daughter was diagnosed with OCD at the age of six. After searching high and low we found Dr Emily O’Leary, she treated my daughter using Cognitive Behavior Therapy and gave her the tools to help combat OCD. She also taught my husband and I how best to deal with OCD in the home environment. My daughter now 12 years old has a happy, normal life with very few, if any, OCD attacks. She has become way more resilient and no longer worries about the small stuff. We are very grateful to Dr. O’Leary as we know we wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for her expertise in this field. Monday, 21 March 2011 00:19

25 year old female »Dr Emily, has literally saved my life. I previously suffered with severe OCD and when I first visited Emily, I would barely want to go to work, interact with anyone bar my family, I was always crying and upset and a very anxious person. Thanks to Emily that has all changed. After initially meeting Emily and going through my obsessive thoughts and compulsions I felt completely at ease with her. I could tell her any of my thoughts and I never once felt udged and from the start always had complete trust in her. After going through the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) therapy and the techniques that she taught me, my OCD was barely there and my anxious became less and less each session. The techniques she taught me have helped me through my life and I think made me a better person. When an odd OCD thought or obsession comes in I have these great techniques that get rid of it all very quickly, where as in the past I would cry and get very upset. No more of that for me!!! I am now happily married and can’t thank Emily enough! Monday, 21 March 2011 00:18

29 year old female »When I first met with Dr O’Leary I’d been struggling with OCD and constant panic attacks for about six months and was feeling utterly exhausted and scared at what was happening to me. I had gone from being a ‘normal’ person to a person I didn’t know and didn’t like. I had lost so much self-esteem because of the distressing thoughts I was having and thought I’d perhaps just turned into an awful person. I would cry all the time because I didn’t know what was happening to me or why I was thinking these things and I started to think that I was going crazy. I didn’t even want to look in the mirror at myself as I was so upset at who I was becoming and all these strange thoughts I was having, which were distressing and the exact opposite of how I felt. On top of the thoughts I was living in a constant state of panic and I hated going anywhere on my own in case something happened to me, even though prior to this I was a very independent person and had no problems doing things on my own and had even travelled to foreign countries on my own. I was now scared of myself, my thoughts and being on my own. I knew I needed help as the things I was trying just weren’t working. I had been to see another psychologist a few times but she didn’t get me and just told me that I had to stop thinking about what I was thinking about, easier said than done! Then a friend recommended Dr O’Leary to me and I’ve never looked back. Dr O’Leary was so approachable and put me at ease. It felt good to be able to blurt out all the random things that were in my head and to have Dr O’Leary understand and to explain to me what had happened. I was a pretty extreme case and OCD had taken over my life. We started off having two sessions a week for a few weeks then dropped back to one a week, then one a fortnight, one a month and then as I needed. Dr O’Leary gave me all the tools to manage on my own and to help me through any tough patches. I have now learnt so much about myself, OCD and cognitive behavioural therapy, skills that have helped in all areas of my life and will help me to lead a better life. I look back now on my life and realise I had pockets of anxiety and OCD as a kid but it was different then. As a 13 year old for a couple of years it was about counting and closing cupboard doors and turning off light switches, back then I think I just stopped doing it after a little while and over the years had a panic attack here and there but it took me by complete surprise when it manifested in distressing thoughts in my late twenties, but now that I have the skills to manage the OCD thoughts and now that I’m no longer scared of anxiety and recognise it I believe that I’ll never allow myself to find myself in that dark place that I was in not so long ago. Monday, 21 March 2011 00:15

20 year old female »DO Expect to be treated with respect Expect to feel scared/anxious/nervous. This is normal and you will grow less anxious as your treatment progresses! You get used to it! Set some personal goals that you would like to achieve. This gives you something to aim for and is very rewarding when you reach your goals Feel proud of yourself! Know that you are doing the right thing. It is hard challenging your thoughts and actions but you are a brave, intelligent person for accepting treatment and taking action to change your life! Be open minded. Even if an idea sounds a bit funny or makes you uncomfortable try and approach it with an open mind and don’t be too quick to judge. Give it a go! Try all the techniques and exercises that Emily sets you. They may take a little practice but they are usually worth it when they take effect. Reflect on your progress. It is pleasing and rewarding to see how far you have come during treatment. Be open and honest about what is happening for you. There is no judgement in therapy. Recognise that you are YOU and your are NOT your illness!. Those two are VERY separate! Work hard! If you put in lots of effort you will get good results! Remember to reward yourself for all your hard work! DON’T Think you will be judged. Emily is very open-minded and knows that you are separate from your illness. Be afraid to tell Emily what you are thinking. No matter how weird/embarrassing/dark/obscure you think it is, you will not be judged for having that thought. After all, it is just a thought! Be embarrassed. There is nothing wrong with going to see the doctor to help treat your medical condition. There is NO shame in asking for help when you need it. Think that what you say in therapy will be spread around behind your back. Nobody else will know what you say. Everything you say is confidential and Emily would only ever breach that confidentiality in extreme circumstances (eg where your safety is in question) Thursday, 30 September 2010 06:16

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