The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Center is one of only three residential treatment centers in the United States for adults with OCD, OC-spectrum disorders and other anxiety disorders.

Located on a 9-acre site about a mile east of the hospital’s Oconomowoc campus, the center’s specialized staff and facilities have the capacity to treat up to 24 adults with OCD and other anxiety disorders. The comorbid program, which is jointly operated by The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Center and The Eating Disorder Center at Rogers Memorial Hospital, is the only place in the United States to offer highly specialized cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment for adults with co-occurring diagnoses of eating disorders and anxiety disorders.

Prior to admission, an initial telephone screening – which includes administration of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) as well as an assessment of related psychosocial factors – is conducted by admissions staff and then reviewed by the clinical director and key clinical staff. Based on this review, a recommendation is made for the appropriate level of care. Upon admission, a comprehensive evaluation is conducted, which includes a battery of assessments to ascertain the patient’s medical, emotional, educational, developmental and social history. This detailed assessment also includes administration of Y-BOCS, generation of exposure exercises and creation of a graduated exposure hierarchy.

Upon admission, each patient is assigned to a core clinical team consisting of a psychiatrist, behavioral specialists, nursing, dietary staff and residential counselors. The staff-to-patient ratio average is 1 to 6. Members of the core clinical team conduct a detailed assessment, develop the treatment goals and exposure hierarchy, then facilitate and monitor the patient’s progress. Treatment goals are accomplished through a program consisting of individual work sessions and group psychotherapy. The center’s staff uses a strict cognitive-behavioral approach and graduated exposure hierarchy for each individual.

For OCD, the main emphasis is Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP). In addition to ERP, cognitive restructuring strategies are also taught. Approximately 50 hours of cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment is provided each week. The length of stay at The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Center is open-ended; the average length is 60 days. Our overall goal is for patients to complete at least 75% of their hierarchy during their treatment stay.