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News and Research
Science-backed Information for Better Care
ScienceWorks is a modern telepsychology practice offering evidence-based care for: Autism & ADHD, Anxiety & Depression, OCD, Trauma, Insomnia, Kids & Families, and more.
These conditions frequently co-occur, can be difficult to diagnose, and also difficult to treat - often requiring specialist knowledge and direct clinical experience to achieve the best possible outcomes.
That's why research and training are the foundation of our work.
Our goal is sharing our knowledge with our friends, clients, and partners to build a stronger, more informed mental health community.
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OCD
Stay informed about OCD and related conditions with news and updates from clinical experts. Scientific information, evidence-based treatments, and more.


Fast Access OCD Assessment in Tennessee: What Happens Before ERP Starts
Last reviewed: 03/12/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you have been searching for OCD assessment options that can be provided before treatment starts, it can help to know what a good evaluation is actually meant to do. The goal is not to slow you down. The goal is to make sure the next step, whether that is ERP, I-CBT, a medication consult, or another support, is built around the right problem from the start. In this article, you’ll learn: when intrusive thoughts, rituals

Ryan Burns
Mar 138 min read


ERP or I-CBT for OCD: How to Choose a Starting Point for OCD Therapy
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re stuck researching ERP or I-CBT for OCD , you’re not alone. For many people, the “Which treatment is best?” question starts to feel urgent, high-stakes, and impossible to answer with certainty. In this article, you’ll learn: What ERP and I-CBT are actually trying to change Signs each approach may be a better starting fit for your OCD pattern When combining ERP vs I-CBT can be the most practical option Questions t

Ryan Burns
Mar 118 min read


Reassurance OCD: Why You Still Don’t Feel Better and What Therapy Does Instead
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re stuck in reassurance OCD , you probably know the pattern: you ask, check, Google, or replay the question in your head, feel better for a moment, and then the doubt comes roaring back. That doesn’t mean you’re doing OCD “wrong.” It means the relief itself is part of what keeps the loop going. In this article, you’ll learn: What reassurance seeking can look like (including the silent, mental version) Why reassuran

Ryan Burns
Mar 119 min read


Moral OCD Therapy: What to Expect When Guilt, Confession, and Reassurance Take Over
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly Moral OCD therapy is designed for a specific kind of “stuck”: when your mind treats ordinary human imperfection as an emergency, and the only relief seems to be confessing, replaying the moment, or getting reassurance that you’re still a good person. If you’re living with moral OCD (sometimes called guilt OCD or scrupulosity), the goal of treatment is not to convince you that morals don’t matter. It’s to help you stop doi

Ryan Burns
Mar 117 min read


ROCD Therapy: When Relationship Anxiety Has Become an OCD Cycle
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly ROCD therapy helps when relationship doubt stops feeling like “normal uncertainty” and starts acting like an OCD loop: intrusive questions, intense anxiety, and compulsions (reassurance seeking, checking, comparing) that briefly soothe you but strengthen the doubt long term.[1-3] In this article, you’ll learn: How ROCD vs relationship anxiety usually shows up The reassurance and checking behaviors that keep the cycle goin

Ryan Burns
Mar 116 min read


OCD, ADHD, and Autism: How Specialized Therapy Changes the Plan
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly When OCD / ADHD / autism overlap, it can feel like you’re trying to solve the wrong problem. You may be working hard on anxiety skills, routines, or productivity, but the stuck part stays stuck. That’s often a sign OCD is driving the plan, even if it doesn’t look like “classic” OCD. In this article, you’ll learn: How OCD can mimic (or hide behind) autism and ADHD traits Why executive function and sensory load can make st

Ryan Burns
Mar 117 min read


Why ERP Didn’t Work Before: Pacing, Provider Fit, and What to Do Next
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re thinking, “ERP didn’t work for me,” you’re not alone. Many people try Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, feel overwhelmed or misunderstood, and leave believing they “failed” treatment. In reality, ERP therapy not working often points to a pacing problem, a planning problem, or a provider-fit problem, not a character flaw. In this article, you’ll learn: Why a bad-fit experience can create shame (and

Ryan Burns
Mar 119 min read


High Y-BOCS Score? Understanding Y-BOCS score meaning, next steps, and when to seek specialized OCD therapy
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly A high number on the Y-BOCS can feel alarming. If you’re searching for y-bocs score meaning, you probably want clarity about severity and a path to help, without getting pulled into more reassurance-seeking. In this article, you’ll learn: What the Y-BOCS measures (and what it doesn’t) How score ranges are typically interpreted When it’s time for OCD-specialized care What treatment planning can look like after a high score

Ryan Burns
Mar 116 min read


Online OCD Therapy in Tennessee: Does Telehealth ERP Actually Work?
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re searching for online OCD therapy in Tennessee , you might be wondering a very practical question: can exposure and response prevention (ERP) really happen over video, and does it actually help? For many people, yes, when telehealth is structured well and you’re working with a licensed OCD therapist in Tennessee who has OCD-specific training. Research on remotely delivered CBT for OCD (including video, phone, and

Ryan Burns
Mar 117 min read


OCD Therapy Tennessee: What the First Month of ERP or I-CBT Usually Looks Like
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly Starting OCD therapy can feel like signing up for a month of panic. Many people delay because they assume they’ll be thrown into the hardest exposure on day one, or that therapy will turn into endless reassurance seeking. Most evidence-based OCD treatment is more structured, gradual, and collaborative than that. In this article, you’ll learn: What typically happens before treatment officially starts What your first OCD th

Ryan Burns
Mar 117 min read


How to Choose an OCD Therapist Tennessee: ERP, I-CBT, and Questions to Ask Before You Start
Last reviewed: 03/11/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re searching for an ocd therapist tennessee , you’re probably past the “Do I need help?” stage. You want to know: Who actually treats OCD well, and how do I tell before I invest my time, money, and hope? In this article, you’ll learn: Why OCD often needs specialized therapy (not just supportive talk therapy) What ERP and I-CBT are, and how they’re different How to spot an OCD specialist who can treat mental compuls

Ryan Burns
Mar 118 min read


I Keep Researching My Symptoms but Still Feel Stuck: When It’s Time to Move From Self-Education to Therapy
Last reviewed: 03/10/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’ve been asking yourself when to start therapy , you’re not alone. For a lot of thoughtful, motivated people, learning about mental health becomes a form of self-care at first, and then slowly turns into hours of searching, second-guessing, and trying to “figure it out” before you’re allowed to get help. In this article, you’ll learn: Why self-education can be helpful and also quietly exhausting Signs your research

Ryan Burns
Mar 108 min read


What Neurodivergent Couples Therapy Looks Like When ADHD, Autism, or OCD Affects the Relationship
Last reviewed: 03/10/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly Neurodivergent couples therapy is different from standard couples work, because many “relationship problems” are actually nervous-system problems, executive function problems, sensory problems, or OCD loop problems showing up in the middle of love and commitment. When therapy treats those patterns like character flaws, couples often leave feeling blamed, misunderstood, or even more stuck. In this article, you’ll learn: Wh

Ryan Burns
Mar 108 min read


Can Therapy Help if I’m Not Sure Whether It’s ADHD, Autism, OCD, or Trauma? Therapy for Overlapping Symptoms
Last reviewed: 03/10/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’ve been cycling through possibilities like ADHD, autism, OCD, and trauma, you’re not alone. Many struggles show up as the same “surface symptoms,” which is why therapy for overlapping symptoms can help even when you’re not ready to claim one label. In this article, you’ll learn: Why overlapping symptoms are so confusing Common patterns people mix up (and what clinicians listen for) What therapy can do before you ha

Ryan Burns
Mar 107 min read


Do I Need Specialized Therapy or General Counseling? How to Tell the Difference
Last reviewed: 03/10/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re trying to decide between specialized therapy and general counseling, you’re not alone. Many people start with “therapy” as a broad idea, then realize they need something more specific, like treatment that targets OCD loops, insomnia, trauma responses, or executive function struggles. In this article, you’ll learn: What people usually mean by “general counseling” (and when it helps) What makes therapy “specialize

Ryan Burns
Mar 109 min read


How to Choose an OCD Therapist: ERP, I-CBT, and Questions to Ask Before You Start
Last reviewed: 03/09/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re searching for an OCD therapist , you’re likely hoping for one thing: relief that actually lasts. OCD is highly treatable when therapy is OCD-specific and skills-based, not just supportive conversation. Evidence-based guidelines consistently recommend CBT approaches that include exposure and response prevention (ERP), and medication may also be part of care for some people. [1,2] In this article, you’ll learn: Ho

Ryan Burns
Mar 97 min read


OCD Therapy vs Anxiety Therapy: Why Intrusive Thoughts Need Specialized Care
Last reviewed: 03/09/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re stuck in a loop of intrusive thoughts and “what ifs,” it’s easy to assume you just have anxiety. Sometimes that’s true. But sometimes the engine underneath is OCD—and OCD therapy works differently than general anxiety therapy. Here’s the tricky part: OCD doesn’t always look like handwashing or being “super organized.” For many people, the compulsions are mostly internal: mental checking, replaying, analyzing, co

Ryan Burns
Mar 910 min read


What Type of Therapy Do I Need? A Decision Guide for OCD, ADHD, Autism, Insomnia, and Trauma
Last reviewed: 03/09/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly Searching “type of therapy” can feel like walking into a hardware store without a project. The problem is not you. The word therapy covers very different tools, and the best fit depends on the pattern underneath your symptoms: obsessive doubt, executive-function overload, trauma-driven threat responses, or a sleep system that’s learned the wrong rhythm. In this article, you’ll learn: How to match symptoms to an evidence-

Ryan Burns
Mar 97 min read


Online Therapy Tennessee: What Specialized Care Looks Like for OCD, ADHD, Autism, Insomnia, and Trauma
Last reviewed: 03/09/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re searching for online therapy Tennessee services, you may already know you want help — but still wonder what “specialized” care actually looks like when it happens over video. This guide explains what specialized telehealth can involve and how to decide your next step. In this article, you’ll learn: What “specialized therapy” means (and what it does not mean) Who tends to benefit most from specialized online th

Ryan Burns
Mar 97 min read


When Constant Intrusive Thoughts Start to Feel Constant
Last reviewed: 03/04/2026 Reviewed by: Dr. Kiesa Kelly If you’re dealing with constant intrusive thoughts , it can feel like your brain is stuck on a station you never chose. The thoughts may be disturbing, “out of character,” or just plain exhausting. And the harder you try to make them stop, the louder they can seem. In this article, you’ll learn: Why intrusive thoughts can multiply when you pay them extra attention How rumination and other mental rituals can keep thoughts

Ryan Burns
Mar 58 min read
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