Anxiety & OCD Assessment
Something has felt off for a while, maybe a long while. The worry won’t switch off. The rituals keep growing. Your child’s world is getting smaller and you’re not sure why. Or you’ve been functioning well enough on the outside, but the internal experience is exhausting.
A thorough assessment gives you clarity: what’s driving the symptoms, whether it meets criteria for an anxiety disorder or OCD, and, most importantly, what to do about it. That last part matters. A diagnosis without a clear path forward isn’t very useful.
If you already have a diagnosis and want to start treatment, I provide evidence-based therapy for anxiety and OCD.
Why a proper assessment matters.
Anxiety and OCD overlap with many other conditions, ADHD, depression, perfectionism, trauma, sleep problems, even giftedness in children. A quick screening tool can’t untangle those. A comprehensive assessment can.
It’s also common for OCD to go unrecognised for years because it doesn’t always look the way people expect. Not everyone who has OCD washes their hands repeatedly. Many people have primarily mental compulsions, relationship-focused obsessions, or harm-related intrusive thoughts that they’re too ashamed to mention. A careful clinical interview catches what screeners miss.
What the assessment involves.
| Clinical interview | a detailed conversation about your symptoms, history, daily functioning, and what life looks like right now. For children, I meet with parents first to build the full picture. |
|---|---|
| Validated rating scales | standardised measures of anxiety and OCD severity (such as the Y-BOCS, CY-BOCS, SCARED, or DASS-21), completed by the person being assessed and, where relevant, by parents or teachers. The full set of screeners I use lives on the screening tools page if you want to take a look first. |
| Differential diagnosis | distinguishing anxiety or OCD from conditions that can look similar, including ADHD, depression, trauma responses, and perfectionism. |
| Diagnostic formulation | not just a label, but a shared understanding of what’s maintaining the anxiety, what makes it worse, and where treatment should focus. |
| Written report | clear diagnostic conclusions, a severity profile, and specific recommendations for treatment, school accommodations, or workplace adjustments. |
The assessment typically takes place over two to three sessions. The first session is up to two hours; subsequent sessions are 60–90 minutes.
What anxiety and OCD look like.
The presentation varies by age and by type. Here’s what I commonly assess:
Anxiety in children & adolescents.
Childhood anxiety doesn’t always look like worry. It can present as stomachaches before school, avoidance of social situations, excessive reassurance-seeking, difficulty separating from parents, meltdowns that seem disproportionate, perfectionism, or sleep difficulties. Common presentations include generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, selective mutism, specific phobias, and panic disorder.
Anxiety in adults.
In adults, anxiety often manifests as persistent worry, decision paralysis, sleep disruption, physical tension, avoidance of situations or responsibilities, and difficulty being present. Many high-functioning adults have been managing anxiety for so long that they don’t recognise it as a treatable condition.
OCD across the lifespan.
OCD involves intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that cause significant distress, and repetitive behaviours or mental acts (compulsions) performed to reduce that distress. It takes many forms:
| Contamination | excessive handwashing, avoidance of “dirty” objects |
|---|---|
| Harm obsessions | intrusive thoughts about harming someone, constant checking |
| Symmetry and ordering | needing things “just right” |
| Scrupulosity | excessive guilt, fear of sinning or being a bad person |
| Relationship OCD | persistent doubt about whether a relationship is “right” |
| “Pure O” | primarily mental compulsions without visible rituals |
In children, OCD often looks like rigidity, excessive questioning, bedtime rituals that take an hour, or emotional outbursts when routines are disrupted. Parents are frequently pulled into the compulsions without realising it.
I am a Professional Member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), which keeps me current with how OCD and related disorders are best understood and assessed across the lifespan.
What you get.
After the assessment, you receive:
- A clear diagnostic conclusion, anxiety disorder confirmed, OCD confirmed, a different explanation, or a combination
- A severity and functional profile, how the symptoms are affecting daily life, school, work, or relationships
- Specific recommendations: therapy approach, medication referral if appropriate, school or workplace accommodations
- A feedback session where I walk you through the findings and answer your questions
If treatment is the next step, I provide CBT and ERP therapy for anxiety and OCD. If you need a referral to a psychiatrist for medication, I can coordinate that as well.
What This Costs
| Anxiety or OCD assessment (adult): | SGD 3,500. Includes clinical interviews, validated rating scales, a full diagnostic report, and a feedback session. |
|---|---|
| Anxiety or OCD assessment (child or adolescent): | From SGD 4,500. Includes parent and child interviews, teacher rating scales, a full diagnostic report, and a feedback session. |
| First consultation: | SGD 700 (usually up to two hours). This is where the assessment process begins. Payment is due before each session. |
| Not sure yet? | Book a free 15-minute Meet & Greet to ask questions before committing. Book a Free Meet & Greet. |
Full fee details are on the Fees page.