Just Right OCD Therapy
Serving San Jose, Sacramento & all of California
Just Right OCD
Just Right OCD Therapy to Help You Tolerate Uncomfortable Feelings
Just Right OCD can help you break free from the endless struggle with feelings that things are not perfect, aligned or exactly right. Sometimes OCD doesn’t show up as fears of germs or danger—it shows up as a nagging sense that something feels “off” or incomplete. This tension can make you redo things until they feel just right. Here are a few things Just Right OCD therapy can help you overcome when it’s getting in the way of daily life:
- Feeling driven to repeat actions until they “feel complete,” even if nothing was technically wrong.
- Spending time arranging, repeating, or evening things up until they look or feel right.
- Getting stuck re-reading or re-writing to try to get it right.
- Avoiding situations or tasks because you worry you’ll get trapped in a “just right” loop.
If any of these sound familiar, you may be experiencing Just Right OCD. The good news is that with the right Just Right OCD therapy, you can learn how to manage the urge for things to feel perfect and break free from the cycle of repeating and redoing.
Laura Johnson, LMFT, LPCC, is a certified CBT therapist with expertise in Just Right OCD therapy. I can provide you with Just Right OCD therapy if you live anywhere in California including San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Could I Have Just Right OCD?
Sometimes OCD doesn’t show up as fears of germs or danger—it shows up as a nagging sense that something feels “off” or incomplete. This tension can make you redo things until they feel just right.
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Do you feel driven to repeat actions until they “feel complete,” even if nothing was technically wrong?
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Do you spend time arranging, repeating, or evening things up until they look or feel right?
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Do you get stuck re-reading, rewriting, or repeating words in your head until they sound perfect?
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Do you avoid situations or tasks because you worry you’ll get trapped in a “just right” loop?
If these questions sound familiar, you may be experiencing Just Right OCD. The good news is that with the right treatment, you can learn how to manage the urge for things to feel perfect and break free from the cycle of repeating and redoing.
What is Just Right OCD?
Just Right OCD is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder where the main struggle isn’t fear of harm, but an uncomfortable sense of incompleteness. You might feel compelled to keep washing, arranging, or repeating an action until the nagging feeling of “not right” goes away.
This cycle keeps going because the compulsion brings short-term relief—but it reinforces the brain’s demand for things to feel perfect. Over time, daily life gets eaten up by rituals, second-guessing, and mental “loops.”
Common Symptoms of Just Right OCD
Many people with OCD experience “just right” symptoms—sometimes without realizing it’s OCD. These typically include both obsessions and compulsions:
Obsessions
(intrusive urges or sensations):
Compulsions
(repetitive behaviors to relieve tension):
How Therapy Helps with Just Right OCD
Therapy teaches you how to break the cycle of doubt, discomfort, and repetition. By learning to face the “not quite right” feeling without giving in to compulsions, you gradually retrain your brain to let go. Over time, your life feels less controlled by OCD and more flexible.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Just Right OCD
CBT is the gold-standard treatment for OCD, including “just right” symptoms. It helps you notice and challenge thinking traps like:
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Catastrophizing: “If I don’t fix this, something terrible will happen.”
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All-or-nothing thinking: “If it’s not perfect, it’s completely wrong.”
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Fortune telling: “If I stop now, I’ll regret it later.”
Treatment may include:
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): facing discomfort while resisting compulsions
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Cognitive restructuring: challenging perfectionistic beliefs
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Mindfulness skills: tolerating the “off” feeling without reacting
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Exposure hierarchy: practicing step by step, starting small and building confidence
Schema Therapy for Just Right OCD
Schema Therapy goes deeper by addressing lifelong patterns that fuel OCD and can be added with your OCD symptoms are relentless. For Just Right OCD, common schemas may include:
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Unrelenting Standards: feeling constant pressure to do things perfectly
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Defectiveness/Shame: believing mistakes mean you’re deeply flawed
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Vulnerability to Harm: fearing something bad will happen if you don’t act “just right”
Schema Therapy helps loosen these patterns so you’re not just managing symptoms—you’re creating lasting change.
Why Work with Me?
I’m an expert in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including the “Just Right” subtype that drives people to repeat, fix, or adjust things until they feel perfect or complete. Over the years, I’ve helped many clients break free from this exhausting cycle using proven, evidence-based strategies. I’ve completed advanced OCD training through the University of Pennsylvania and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), where I’ve been a long-time member committed to raising the standard of OCD care.
I’m also one of the few therapists in California certified in both Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Schema Therapy—a powerful combination that lets me address both the symptoms and the deeper patterns that keep OCD stuck. Using CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) as the gold-standard treatment, I help clients create lasting change—even when past therapy hasn’t worked.
Frequently Asked Questions about Just Right OCD
Is Just Right OCD different from perfectionism?
Yes. Perfectionism is about high standards, but Just Right OCD involves compulsions driven by intense discomfort until something feels “right.”
Can I have Just Right OCD without other OCD symptoms?
Absolutely. Many people experience “just right” symptoms as their main OCD pattern.
Does therapy really work for Just Right OCD?
What if my OCD affects everything I do?
Therapy can still help. Treatment is tailored to your situation, even if the “just right” feelings show up in many areas of life.
Will medication help?
For some, medication prescribed by a doctor can ease OCD symptoms and make therapy more effective.
Take the First Step to Get Help with Just Right OCD
Living with “just right” OCD can feel exhausting, but you don’t have to keep repeating rituals just to find relief. Therapy is effective, and with the right tools, you can break free from the cycle. I work with clients throughout California—including San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. Reach out today to start your recovery for Just Right OCD and take the first step toward a calmer, freer life.