Mist rolls over a forested lake shore at sunrise

Find your way through the thicket — one step, one breath at a time.

Therapy for adults with intrusive thoughts, OCD and anxiety, in person on the Upper West Side and by video for clients in New York State.

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If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), any time. In an emergency, call 911.

About

Guided by presence, and by a clear method.

I'm Dr. Erin Lindgren, a licensed psychologist who works with adults whose minds keep returning to thoughts they didn't choose. Most of my work is cognitive-behavioral, including exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, and I explain each step before we take it.

Therapy for intrusive thoughts isn't about arguing with them or pushing them away. It is about learning, at a pace you set, to let a thought be there without having to answer it. My role is to walk beside you and show you how the work is done.

PsyD, clinical psychology
Licensed psychologist in New York State
Uses CBT and ERP, a form of CBT
Sessions in person and by video

Dr. Erin Lindgren

Licensed psychologist, PsyD

A woman sits calmly in a grey armchair in a bright consulting room

Your Journey

How We Work Together

A clear path into the work, at your pace.

01
Fit call
A 15-minute phone call about whether we are a good match, before you book anything.
02
First session
We talk about what has been hard and what you hope for. I explain how the work runs, how privacy works and what each session costs.
03
Ongoing sessions
Weekly sessions of 50 minutes. We set the pace together, and there is no promised number of sessions.
04
Looking back
As the work goes on, we look together at what has changed, and plan how to finish when you are ready.

Intrusive thoughts
Checking
Germ worries
Asking again
Mental review
Harm worries
Health worries
Love doubts

Services

Pathways Through the Undergrowth

These are the areas I work in.

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Individual sessions
One-on-one sessions of 50 minutes, in person or by video. We look at how your thoughts, worries and routines fit together, and I explain the method before we begin.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
ERP is a form of CBT. Step by step, you practice facing what a thought or worry attaches to without doing the ritual that usually follows. The International OCD Foundation describes ERP as a first-line therapy for OCD.
Intrusive thoughts
Unwanted thoughts, images and urges are common. We work on what you do after one arrives: the checking, the arguing, the avoiding.
Anxiety and worry
CBT for worry that runs long, with skills for the body's stress response and for the habits that keep worry going.
Sessions with a partner or family member
Sometimes a partner or family member joins one session, to learn how to respond to rituals and requests for reassurance without taking over.

Does this sound familiar?

What intrusive thoughts are, and are not

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that arrive uninvited, and almost everyone has them. They are not wishes, warnings or a sign of who you are.

A thought arrives that you didn't want, and it feels as if it must mean something
You check, count, wash or review in your head until it feels right
You ask others, or search, for reassurance, and the relief fades
You avoid people, places or objects the thoughts attach to
You are tired from arguing with your own mind
You wonder whether this is more than ordinary worry

A dirt track leads through trees toward a glowing sunset

50 min
Individual sessions
15 min
Fit call, not therapy
Saturdays
Sessions 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Video
For clients in New York State

Client words

In their words

“She never rushed me and never flinched at what I said. I could say the thing out loud and the room stayed calm.”
Tessa W.
“Nobody told me to just stop thinking about it. We went at a pace I could manage, and I always knew what came next.”
Isaac G.
“The office is quiet and sessions start on time. I knew what we were doing before we did it.”
Maisie O.
“I expected to feel judged. Instead I felt listened to, and the explanations made sense.”
Amiya T.
“Dr. Lindgren explains why before she asks me to try anything. That made it easier to show up.”
Connor B.
“The pace was mine. Some weeks were harder than others, and she never made me feel behind.”
Lydia R.

“She never rushed me and never flinched at what I said. I could say the thing out loud and the room stayed calm.”
Tessa W.
“Nobody told me to just stop thinking about it. We went at a pace I could manage, and I always knew what came next.”
Isaac G.
“The office is quiet and sessions start on time. I knew what we were doing before we did it.”
Maisie O.
“I expected to feel judged. Instead I felt listened to, and the explanations made sense.”
Amiya T.
“Dr. Lindgren explains why before she asks me to try anything. That made it easier to show up.”
Connor B.
“The pace was mine. Some weeks were harder than others, and she never made me feel behind.”
Lydia R.

Sample reviews.

Approach

How I work

Therapy for intrusive thoughts is paced and explained, and you stay in charge of each step.

Safety first
Before the harder work begins, we build trust. You set the pace, and nothing happens that we haven't talked through.
A named method
I use CBT, including exposure and response prevention (ERP). I explain what each step is, what it asks of you and why. Results vary from person to person.
Mind and body
We work with both your thoughts and what your body does when they arrive.

Common Questions

Plain answers before your first session.

A grey sofa with a green cushion beside a small table with a laptop and a cup of coffee

What happens in the first session?

We talk about what has been hard and what you hope for. I explain how sessions work, how privacy works and what each session costs. You share only what you are comfortable sharing.

How long does therapy last?

Sessions are 50 minutes. We set the pace together and check in regularly about whether to continue. I don't promise a number of sessions.

Do you take insurance?

I'm out of network. I don't bill insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Each month I can give you an itemized receipt, called a superbill, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of a session. The plan decides. See how fees work.