The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency responsible for reviewing research and determining which treatments or practices have demonstrated their effectiveness for different disorders. Their findings are listed in the National Register of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP).  Sage Anxiety Treatment Program utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), both of which are listed as evidence-based treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  This is significant because the field of psychotherapy includes many different theories and practices, but only three have been deemed evidence-based for OCD:  ACT, ERP and Cognitive Therapy (CT).

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While practices other than ACT, ERP and CT may be helpful for other disorders, it is important to know that practices not deemed evidence-based for OCD include:

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• Equine Therapy

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

• Narrative Therapy

• EMDR

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

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When looking into treatment options, here are some questions you might want to ask:

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• Which treatment practices do you use?

• What training has been provided for clinicians on staff?

• Are any interns or post-doc's providing care?

• If needed, will clinicians go off-site for ERP?

• If the program states that they use mindfulness (a component of ACT) in their treatment, what training have the meditation teachers received and does the program include instruction in formal meditation?  Many programs state that they have a mindfulness component and it's important that clients receive training from qualified teachers.

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