OCD & BDD Therapist in New York | Robyn Stern, LCSW
Teletherapy in NY, CA, FL, CT, & NJ
You already know it isn't just a thought.
You've been told that. You've read it. You've probably tried to believe it. But when the doubt comes — about your appearance, about whether you locked the door, about the thought you can't stop having — it doesn't feel like something you're doing. It feels like something you are.
The shame isn't just about the compulsion. It's about what the compulsion says about you. And that part (the part that feels like identity, not just anxiety) is exactly what most treatment misses.
I know this not because I've studied it. I know it because I've lived it.
Meet Robyn Stern, LCSW — OCD & BDD specialist with lived experience
In 2003, I was caught in the same loop many of my clients describe in our first session. The checking, the doubt, the cycle that brings just enough relief to keep you trapped. Evidence-based treatment changed my life. But what changed it wasn't just learning to resist compulsions. It was rebuilding a relationship with myself — with my sense of worth, my identity, my capacity for a full life — that the disorder had quietly dismantled.
That experience is not incidental to my work. It's the foundation of it.
When you sit across from me, you don't have to explain the texture of it. The way the doubt feels like fact. The way shame follows you even on the good days. The exhaustion of a mind that never fully rests. I understand the intricacies of these disorders from the inside — and that changes everything about how I'm able to help.
ERP therapy for OCD & BDD — and what happens beyond it
I'm trained in Exposure and Response Prevention — the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD and BDD. ERP works. But in my experience, especially with BDD, ERP alone isn't enough.
Lasting recovery requires more than learning to sit with uncertainty. It requires healing the distorted beliefs about your worth and appearance that the disorder has been feeding. It requires rebuilding a healthy sense of self — your relationships, your identity, your capacity to feel good in your own skin. It requires building a life that has something to come back to when the compulsions no longer have the floor.
This is what I mean by value-based living. Not just freedom from the loop — but a life with joy, connection, goals, and meaning in it. I look at the whole person. I don't do cookie-cutter work. Every client is an individual, and the path we take together is shaped around them — their history, their pace, what they need to feel safe enough to do the hard parts.
What recovery from OCD & BDD actually looks like
Most people come to me hoping to feel less consumed by the disorder. What they often discover is something bigger: that healing isn't just about the symptoms quieting — it's about finding their way back to a life that feels genuinely theirs.
That means feeling joy again. Pursuing hobbies, goals, and relationships that had gone dormant. Showing up in their own lives — not just managing the next intrusive thought or the next compulsion, but actually living. That's what I'm working toward with every client. Not symptom management. Genuine thriving.
Common Questions About OCD & BDD Therapy
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ERP has a reputation for being confrontational — and in the wrong hands, it can be. In my practice, we build rapport first. I explain every step. I've walked this path myself, and I pace the work the way I would have wanted it paced for me — slowly, carefully, and always with attention to what you're ready for. The goal is never to overwhelm. It's to help you feel safe enough to do the hard parts.
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This is one of the most common things I hear. OCD and BDD are frequently misdiagnosed and undertreated — finding a therapist who truly specializes in these disorders, rather than one who has simply heard of them, can take years. If previous therapy felt surface-level or missed the mark, that's worth talking about. My approach goes beyond symptom management into the deeper work most treatment never reaches.
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No. Many people come to me knowing only that something feels off — that their mind has become an exhausting place to live, and that what they've tried so far hasn't been enough. A diagnosis can be clarifying, but it's not a requirement to begin.
I have been a licensed clinical social worker since 2017, with specialized training in OCD, BDD, and related disorders. I am an active member of the International OCD Foundation and serve on the Conference Planning Committee for BDD — which means I am not only practicing in this field but contributing to how it evolves.
I provide teletherapy to clients in New York, California, Florida, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
I have been featured on Good Morning America, consulted by the IOCDF, and invited to speak on BDD and OCD across podcasts, panels, and international platforms. → View all media appearances
OCD & BDD Training, Credentials + Teletherapy Availability
Ready to Stop Managing and Start Changing? Let’s Talk.
If you have been putting off reaching out, I understand that too. Starting therapy when your mind already feels like a difficult place to be takes courage. And finding a therapist who actually specializes in what you are dealing with — rather than one who has simply heard of it — can feel like one more exhausting search.
This does not have to be that.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation so you can ask questions, get a sense of how I work, and decide whether this feels like the right fit — without any pressure to commit. If you are ready to stop managing and start actually changing your relationship with these experiences, I would like to help.
Kind Words from my Colleagues
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Robyn is an incredibly gifted and compassionate therapist. Her passion and understanding of working with OCD, BDD, and related disorders is unmatched! I would feel comfortable referring a family member to her!
Andrew C
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Robyn Leigh Stern is a skilled, thoughtful clinician specializing in OCD, BDD, anxiety, & panic. Her approach is clear, compassionate, and effective in helping clients navigate intrusive thoughts, compulsions, & body image distress with confidence & care.
Yemaya Wellness Center
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Robyn shares a deep clinical knowledge in treating those with BDD and OCD. Robyn treats each client with compassion and creates a space where clients feel genuinely understood and supported. Robyn is highly recommended in the field.
Dr. Sara Marchon