Charles Adrian Bewley

My experience as a teacher in a Los Angeles public high school taught me that the biggest barriers to learning for so many students are not academic; instead, they’re emotional. As much as I loved teaching, I wanted to be able to help people, young and old, live better by tackling the mental and emotional hurdles that keep them from reaching their goals and living the life of their dreams.

The impressive research on the benefits of exposure and response prevention for OCD is inspiring, and it made me want to be a part of helping to provide this life-changing therapy.

I also focus on complex trauma and PTSD symptoms, couples therapy, and anxiety disorders. The recognition of the effect of adverse childhood experiences on quality of life and health has opened a lot of eyes in the past few years, including mine. The recognition, too, that anything unpredictable, overwhelming, or scary can have a lasting impact on the nervous system and can be helped by trauma therapy made me want to focus on this area.

The old saying really applies here: You’ll get out of it what you put into it. Recovery from OCD can be challenging. It can also be one of the most empowering experiences of your life. Change is possible, and life can get better.

It’s my job to create a safe space in our sessions. First, I hope you’ll tell me there are things you’re afraid to share, even if you’re not ready to articulate the specifics. When you understand how OCD works—as the team at NOCD does—you understand the nature of intrusive thoughts, which is that they're the opposite of who you are as a person. That’s why they can be so distressing. OCD finds ways to sneak up on your best qualities as a human being and make you doubt them. Together, we can find ways to fight back.