I-CBT Intensives for Latter-day Saints
Targeted Treatment in a Focused Format
Do you ever feel like the standard weekly 45-minute therapy sessions just aren't cutting it in helping you achieve the life you truly desire?
An I-CBT intensive is unlike any other therapy you have ever experienced. Gone are the days of spending years in weekly sessions feeling like you’re “talking about the problem” without fully understanding why your mind works the way it does and then translating that knowledge into strategies that work.
In an I-CBT intensive, we take a different approach, translating years of experience helping Latter-day Saints learn to manage their OCD into powerful results.
This is a structured, immersive experience designed to help you understand and step out of the obsessive doubt process—often creating meaningful clarity and momentum in a matter of days, not months.
If you’re ready for more than coping—and want to actually understand and change the OCD process—this may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
An Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) intensive can help.
I-CBT a proven solution for OCD and related disorders. Grounded in solid evidence, ICBT targets the root cause of obsessions: Inferential Confusion-the tendency to believe what MIGHT be true, instead of what is ACTUALLY true. Are you stuck in a cycle of obsessional doubts and compulsions? That's where I-CBT steps in, offering a comprehensive curriculum and practical exercises to maximize your progress.
Drawing on years of clinical experience using I-CBT to help Latter-day Saints with scrupulosity, I can tailor an intensive program to your specific needs to help you get results quickly.
Inference-based CBT differs from Exposure Response and Prevention (ERP) in that:
No exposures
Focuses on understanding the reasoning behind obsessive thoughts
Unlike traditional exposure-based methods, I-CBT does not involve exposures. Instead, it helps clients understand how OCD creates these fears, teaches them to recognize false reasoning patterns, and empowers them to become experts in managing their own minds—so they can live their faith with confidence and peace.
I-CBT is well suited to an intensive format because it focuses on helping you manage your symptoms by becoming an expert on your own patterns of obsessive thinking rather than repeating exposures consistently over time.
Why Scrupulosity?
Scrupulosity is a subtype of OCD in which obsessions center on morality, sin, and spirituality. Compulsions may include excessive prayer, confession, mental review, or seeking reassurance from ecclesiastical leaders, family members, or friends.
In the Latter-day Saint context, scrupulosity often looks like:
Repeatedly confessing to a bishop or family members about minor or imagined transgressions
Anxiously reviewing past events to ensure perfect honesty or purity
Feeling distress during temple recommend interviews or ordinances
Obsessing over the “rightness” of prayers, scripture study, or other spiritual activities
Avoiding spiritual activities out of fear of hypocrisy or feelings of unworthiness
Although these behaviors may sometimes appear like efforts to live in higher and holier ways, they are driven by anxiety, not faith. Scrupulosity hijacks good intentions and turns spiritual life into a series of mental traps that makes you feel further away from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
When Traditional Exposure Therapy Isn’t a Good Fit
The gold standard for OCD treatment has long been Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). In ERP, clients gradually face feared situations while refraining from compulsions, allowing their anxiety to decrease naturally over time.
While ERP is highly effective for many OCD themes (such as contamination or checking), it can feel confusing or even morally uncomfortable for religious scrupulosity. For example, an exposure such as “pray incorrectly” or “don’t attend the temple” might feel irreverent or incompatible with spiritual values.
Moreover, ERP can be difficult to apply when fears are internal, abstract, moral or spiritual—for example, “What if I’m not truly a good person?” There’s no concrete behavior to “expose” oneself to, because the distress lies in the imagination and reasoning process itself.
That’s where Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy offers an alternative path—one that honors faith, protects conscience, and directly addresses the core cognitive issues that drive OCD.
What Is Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) is an evidence-based approach that targets the reasoning patterns that lead to obsessional thinking. I-CBT focuses not on what you fear, but on how your mind arrives at the fear in the first place.
OCD begins with inferential confusion—a process where your brain begins to rely more on imaginary stories generated by your OCD than what is actually happening in reality. For example, even though you know that you love your husband and are consistently happy in your marriage, you may begin to question whether those feelings are real.
Even though nothing in the present moment supports the story, it feels plausible. Soon, anxiety takes hold, and compulsions follow: confessing, analyzing, or replaying memories to try to manage your anxiety and achieve certainty about your concerns.
I-CBT teaches you to step back and recognize the mental process that produced the obsession. You learn to see how the mind slipped from normal reasoning into obsessional reasoning—and how to restore confidence in what is actually happening and what you know to be true without performing compulsions.
Because I-CBT focuses on helping you understand your obsessive thoughts and then teaching you how to translate that understanding to avoid compulsions, it is particularly well-suited to an intensive treatment format. With an I-CBT intensive, you can condense months of therapy into just one weekend.
Weekly Therapy May Include:
10-15 mins follow up on the previous session
around 20 mins of ICBT
10-15 mins of closing & assigning homework
You might find yourself dedicating a whole month to addressing just one particular source of stress, which could cost you $1,000 for those four weekly therapy sessions.
However, in reality, issues tend to arise between sessions, making you reluctant to wait until the next session to address them, and the focus of each session might veer off course significantly from week to week.
As a result, you could end up continuing weekly therapy for several months, which would multiply the cost, and still not find complete resolution for the current stressor.
Intensive Therapy May Include:
10-15 mins to check in & set the agenda
around 75-210 mins of ICBT
10-15 mins of closing & assigning homework
You could find complete resolution for one or even several concerns in just half a day, which might cost around $2,000. Spending 2-3 hours on I-CBT allows you to accomplish more in less time and requires fewer therapy sessions overall.
This means you start feeling better much sooner.
Additionally, you save money by needing fewer sessions to manage symptoms.
Furthermore, you avoid having to take time off work or pay for childcare to attend therapy sessions regularly.
Who Can Benefit
An I-CBT Intensive may be a great fit if you:
feel stuck in your current therapy and want to work with a therapist who is highly specialized in helping Latter-day Saints with scrupulosity and related forms of OCD
are highly motivated and want faster progress
struggle with rumination or mental compulsions
feel like your OCD is more “internal” than behavioral
want a deeper understanding—not just strategies
Have a limited amount of time for therapy because you are preparing for a mission, currently serving a mission, or have recently returned from a mission
Want to work with a therapist who really understands your LDS values but don’t live in Utah
You want the opportunity to work with Claire in person in Salt Lake City
Common LDS-Specific Fear Themes Addressed in I-CBT
Fear of Being “Unworthy”
OCD often convinces clients that they might not meet God’s standards, even when there’s no evidence of wrongdoing. I-CBT helps you see how OCD confuses normal human imperfection with moral failure. You learn to interpret uncertainty as part of life, not proof of unworthiness, and you understand how to find joy and freedom in repentance instead of experiencing it as a never-ending punishment.
Fear About the Strength of Your Testimony or if the Church is True
Some individuals worry that they’ve deceived themselves about their faith or testimony. They worry that the Church might not actually be true in spite of a lifetime of meaningful spiritual experiences and Church service. I-CBT teaches that these thoughts stem from anxiety, not revelation. By learning to trust their experiences and true feelings about the gospel, clients are able to overcome their anxiety and reconnect with genuine spiritual experiences.
Fear of Sinning Without Knowing
Clients sometimes fear that they’ve sinned unintentionally or forgotten a critical detail in repentance. I-CBT helps separate realistic moral responsibility from OCD’s impossible demand for omniscience. Clients learn to live peacefully within human limits and appreciate the mercy of our Savior and the gift of his Atonement.
Becoming the Expert in Your Own OCD through our Specialized Program
One of the defining features of I-CBT is that it turns clients into experts in their own OCD.
Through a customized I-CBT intensive, you will learn how to recognize, understand, challenge and eventually overcome your obsessive thoughts. You can identify OCD logic in real time, respond with grounded reasoning, and prevent compulsions before they start.
This sense of mastery brings profound relief and self-respect. You learn to trust yourself again by understanding that, while it is not always possible to prevent intrusive thoughts, you can learn how to manage and respond to them in ways that minimize anxiety and allow you to move closer to your values and goals.
What’s Included
You deserve a thoughtful, structured experience—not just longer sessions.
Your I-CBT Intensive is highly customized and includes:
50 minute pre-intensive session
We identify your OCD pattern, map your doubt process, and set clear treatment goalsPersonalized treatment framework
Based on your specific symptoms, concerns and priorities3–12+ hours of focused I-CBT treatment
Delivered in extended sessions with breaks to support integrationClear, structured teaching of the I-CBT model customized for Latter-day Saints with scrupulosity
So you actually understand how OCD worksTargeted work on rumination and mental compulsions
(not just external behaviors–we focus on the symptoms other therapists often struggle to treat!)Post-intensive follow-up session
To help you apply what you’ve learned and maintain progressNext-step treatment plan
Written plan and educational materials so you leave knowing exactly what to do moving forward and have helpful reminders of what we covered in session
Like other intensive therapy formats, this condensed structure allows for deeper focus and faster progress compared to weekly sessions.
Pricing
Intensives, including a one preparatory session and one follow up session after the intensive, start at $2000 and depend on length, scheduling preferences and whether we will be in person or virtual. Parts of the intensive may be reimbursable by your insurance, depending on your coverage.
Once your intensive is scheduled, I’ll reserve the time for you. A deposit of 50% of the total cost is required at booking and is non-refundable. The remaining balance will be due at the time of the appointment.
Any additional sessions after your intensive will be charged at my standard rate of $295 per 50-minute session. While I do not accept insurance, I can provide a Superbill for you to submit to your insurance provider.
Once your intensive is booked, I’ll hold the dates for you for 48 hours, during which I’ll require completion of paperwork via the client portal.
Why I-CBT is Ideal for Scrupulosity
Many OCD themes—particularly those involving worthiness, morality, or spiritual identity—don’t easily lend themselves to traditional exposure exercises. Exposing yourself to the idea that you might not be a good person can quickly feel convoluted and inefficient. Trying to pray in a way that feels “off” or insincere can feel sacrilegious.
I-CBT is uniquely suited for these complex, internal fears because it targets the reasoning patterns behind them. You don’t have to intentionally violate beliefs or provoke distress. Instead, you understand the logic error that makes the fear seem real.
By shifting focus from behavioral exposure to cognitive insight, clients can address even the most abstract or spiritually sensitive themes safely and effectively.
Begin Your Journey Toward Peace
If you feel overwhelmed by doubt and feelings that your are not worthy, I-CBT therapy can provide hope. With an I-CBT intensive, you can fast track your treatment, learn to understand your OCD, dismantle its reasoning errors, and overcome your anxiety.
Reach out today to schedule a consultation or learn more about how this approach can help you reclaim your confidence, your testimony and your life.
Work through Your Religious OCD with I-CBT in Provo, Orem, Salt Lake City, and throughout Utah
If you or a loved one are struggling with religious OCD, you don't have to face it alone. At the Mountain Home Center for Religious and Moral OCD, I offer specialized treatment tailored to help you find peace and regain control over your life. As a religious OCD therapist, I understand the unique challenges religious OCD brings. I am dedicated to providing the support and tools you need to manage your symptoms effectively through I-CBT in Provo, UT. Don't let OCD define your spiritual journey. Discover a path to wellness and spiritual harmony by following the steps below:
Reach out to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation.
Speak with a compassionate I-CBT therapist.
Break free from OCD for a happier life.